Stories

The Jean Donovan Fellowship Intensive (JDF+) seeks to align Santa Clara University’s mission, the Jesuit Apostolic Preferences, and high impact practices of community-engaged learning to expand on the existing Ignatian Center relationships with community-based organizations through the global Jesuit network. The Fellowship provides support and full funding for a cadre of student leaders with demonstrated commitments to social justice. This past summer we sponsored four fellows in this intensive experience - two worked with Hogar de Cristo in Santiago, Chile and two with Catholic Workers in Los Angeles, CA. As each of the students closed out their fellowships and reflected on their experiences, they all recognized a transformation in themselves and a desire for continued growth.

Eliza Maxfield '27

Catholic Worker | Los Angeles, CA

I am still at the LA Catholic Worker, as I decided to extend my placement for a few weeks. I have really been enjoying the community here, and developing relationships with the members of the Catholic Worker House as well as friends at the Hippie Kitchen downtown. 

This experience has changed my perspective in so many ways, it is hard to pinpoint specific ones. I have realized that no matter how bleak life may seem at any point, there is always light to be found in extending oneself in love to another person. There are always ways to connect with others, even when we feel most isolated. We only have to open ourselves up to that possibility, that necessity of life, that is all around us. Living in community has led me to the belief that this is the way we are meant to be; living with one another, finding genuine care in our hearts for the well-being of one another just as much as we care for ourselves. 

I grew up very skeptical of religion, especially Christianity. It seemed that the message preached by many Christians seemed antithetical to their actions or applications of that belief in our modern-day world. How could people preach about the love of God, but maintain that that same all-encompassing love could be used to exile immigrants from our country, to allow our friends and neighbors to live on the streets while we are sheltered, to hoard wealth for ourselves while thousands of people are left in destitution, with only the clothes on their backs? Living at the LACW has opened my eyes to another way of experiencing truth. Whether you are religious or not, it is easy to have morals and a set of "values," but easier to ignore these values and to turn our backs to the suffering of people we do not personally know, or even the suffering of our friends and family. I myself have done this; we are humans, made to be imperfect and always striving to be better. However, it is indeed possible to live in a way which remains true to principles of kindness, justice, and love. It is not a perfect process, and it requires patience, pain, restructuring of our prejudices and assumptions, as well as discomfort and confusion. But the light is out there, and good work is being done, if you are only willing to look for it and seek to be a part of it.

I am honored to have been welcomed into a community that does such beautiful work, in a way that is humble, constant, and loving of every human. Lessons I have learned here will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I hope to return to this community as I get older. People who come from all walks of life have walked through these doors and lived in this community, and it is difficult to wrap my head around being part of a patchwork that continues to grow and be filled with stories — stories of pain, strife, justice, love, change, and light. 

I have learned that I take my past experiences with me, but that I am more than what I come from. It is possible to change the way that you view the world, and even every instant. There are lessons to be learned from each person, each conversation and experience, and I can hear these lessons if I allow my heart to be quiet and listen. I have learned that this is difficult for me, and this restructuring feels new and foreign, but that I am excited for this change; it feels necessary and right. 

Alicia Nelson ‘26

Catholic Worker | Los Angeles, CA

I finished my placement in August, and I have reflected a lot on my perspective and how it has changed. I am more willing to speak up about things but also more willing to be more present to people. I realized while I was in LA that what I was doing should not have been something that I was recognized for (which seemed to be the case when I told people that I spent my summer in East LA), as I was serving food and being with people and caring about the community - something that I think is very bare minimum when it comes to caring about all of our neighbors. In that sense, I feel that the world needs to change when it comes to thinking about people that are different from us, and I was really able to be in a place that kind of neutralized all of what I have known before when it comes to people who are in "different" categories. Being back is sad - I really felt at home at the Catholic Worker, and I miss the people I was with.

While I was there, even though I was doing difficult work, I was able to do things that I enjoyed rather than doing things that society tells me I should enjoy, like being productive. I was pushed out of my comfort zone, but I really appreciated the amount of growth that I was able to have because of this. I have learned that I really like the person that I am now, and I want to be more vocal when it comes to social justice. I was able to protest and use my voice more than I ever had before, and I felt that by being with a community that I trusted and that had historically been doing this made me feel really comfortable. I hope to continue to be vocal about injustices, since now I feel like I have gotten my foot in the door. I am also looking forward to visiting other Catholic Worker houses - they are all over the country and I am really curious as to how they are similar or different to LA. I also think that some of my priorities have changed - I feel more connected to Catholicism and community and using my time not just for me, but to accompany other people and be more intentional.

Hannah Yonkers-Talz ‘27

Hogar de Cristo | Santiago, Chile

I have been back home for about a week now, and as the days have gone by and I have had time to do my own personal reflection over my JDF experience, the more I am so grateful for the time I spent in Chile and everything I learned throughout my time there. I not only learned a ton of things about the country and its community, but I had the chance to learn so much about myself as well and my identity. Growing up in a Latin American country, but living in a US household, I struggled with identity quite a bit. This summer was the first time in five years that I lived once again in Latin America, except the difference now is that I have done so much soul searching throughout the past few years of my life. I was lucky enough to be exposed to so many different kinds of people from different parts of the country this summer. While I have been able to answer a lot of questions I had regarding myself, a thousand new questions arose from my time spent in the communities as well. As a result of my trip, I now have questions about faith, humanity, world politics, economic differences among people, and what makes the decisions/what defines which family or social structure one person is born into and another is not. 

While I so enjoyed my time in Chile, being back home in New York has been absolutely amazing. I do sense a shift inside myself ever since being back, and I do not really know how to put it into words. I just feel more at peace mentally and emotionally than before. I think it has to do with having a new perspective on what is important in life, and what I thought was important but have recently realized is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. I have been able to reflect on my summer with my friends and family, and even they will admit that they see a growth in me that wasn’t there before. They say I seem calmer and wiser, but spiritually lighter at the same time. 

Throughout my experience, I learned SOOO much about myself. Honestly, I still don’t think I have fully comprehended how much I have grown and positively changed these past few months. I feel like I have a much greater understanding of who I am, who I want to be in this life, what my purpose is, what I want to do in the future, what gives me life versus what drains me, and so much more. 

Paul Tapia ‘26

Hogar de Cristo | Santiago, Chile

It has been a little over a week since I officially ended my placement at Hogar de Cristo and I can't stop thinking of the incredible summer I had. This summer was filled with exploration and new experiences that have ultimately allowed me to find myself. I found that what I truly value most are people and my relationships and connections to them. I feel so fortunate to have met so many people who are doing remarkable work for their communities. Every person I have crossed paths with this summer has taught me something about myself, the world, or Chile. 

Hannah taught me to be more assertive and live more unapologetically. We laughed together, supported each other when things were hard, and reflected together on the incredible experiences we were having. There were long days of volunteering that were draining and moments of culture shock that were uncomfortable but I was lucky to have someone to struggle through those moments with. She was there to enjoy the good moments but was also there for me when things didn’t go as planned. I could always rely on her witty sense of humor to remind me everything was gonna be ok. I could not have wished for a better person to share this experience with. 

Sebas taught me that I don't have to take life so seriously all the time and about the importance of enjoying the time we have in the present. He showed me genuine friendship and I felt I could always count on him for anything that came up. I got to learn about and explore Chile through the best tour guide, a local. I appreciated his willingness to always accompany me to the museums and sights I wanted to see and for always engaging with my curiosities about his culture. The friendship I was able to form with Sebas is one that, despite the time and distance we are apart, I hope will not fade. I am so immensely thankful for being able to experience this type of connection with someone despite the little amount of time I spent in Chile.

Marce showed me what finding your vocation looks like and what commitment to a cause really means. Despite Hogar de Cristo cutting her position, she showed up to work with an energy and care for what she did that was admirable. Something that will always stick with me is when all the organizations within the network stood up for her and complained about her job being eliminated. She handled this moment with grace and reassurance to the organizations that, regardless of her job title, she will always be there for them because she did this work from the heart. This will always stick with me. I hope to one day find the thing and community that I can have this type of commitment to.

Finally Carolina was one of the most influential organization leaders that I met. She showed what it meant to truly care for your community and what selflessness looks like. Outside of her busy life caring for her grandchildren and family, she runs a soup kitchen in her neighborhood that hands out hundreds of meals. Seeing how much effort she put into her work and how much she really cared about everyone around her, inspired me and gave me hope for the goodness of humanity. From her I learned what a community can look like and she redefined what supporting those in need can be. In her work I saw accompaniment based service in its most organic form.