I grew up in Massachusetts, am the son of a nurse and public middle school teacher, and am the youngest of four children with three older sisters. I attended the University of Notre Dame as an undergraduate where I first became immersed in experiences of service, faith and justice. After college I volunteered for a year with the Dominican Volunteers. I lived with Dominican priests while teaching at Hales Franciscan, an African American male high school on the South Side of Chicago. After three years at Hales, I joined campus ministry at Loyola University Chicago where I worked for seven years–mainly in service, faith, peace and justice work–while earning my Master of Divinity and Master of Pastoral Studies. I arrived at the SCSJ in August of 1999. I earned my Master of Business Administration while working at Creighton. My wife, Jennifer, is a Professor of Theology at College of St. Mary here in Omaha. We have two daughters: Maya was born in March of 1998, and Rosa was born in December of 1999. They are the joy of our lives. I consider my ministry of service, faith, justice, community, simplicity, sustainability, solidarity, reflection and Ignatian advocacy, in collaboration with our talented and committed SCSJ team, to be a gift and grace. Striving to live out a “faith that does justice” with students, community partners, staff, faculty, and alumni/ae fills my life with meaning.

I grew up in the Omaha area. While I haven’t moved far from home, I have had many opportunities to live with and learn from various communities in El Salvador, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and on 6 domestic service trips. These experiences have been incredibly educational, inspirational and life changing- it is truly amazing how connected we are as a human family, how much we depend on and impact each other. After college I lived in an intentional community called the Namaste Community. I am a two time Creighton alumna B.A. in Justice Society and Spanish (’06) and Master of Science in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution (’08). I see my role and that of our office as bridge building. Away from the SCSJ I volunteer with various community organizations including Concord Mediation Center, Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim, Ixim: Spirit of Solidarity, and Omaha Together One Community. I love connecting our students with these and many other great community partners.

I am grateful to be part of the Creighton SCSJ community!  The first community I knew was my large Filipino family in Southern California, where I grew up.  For college, I attended DePaul University in Chicago.  I studied Catholic studies, Psychology, and Peace Studies.  Over the last twelve years since graduating, I have accompanied young adults, students, and people experiencing housing instability.  I have worked for the following mission-based organizations:  Vincentian Service Corps, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Colorado Vincentian Volunteers, Brothers Redevelopment, and the City of Westminster.  I think that since I chose him as my confirmation saint, Ignatius of Loyola has been with me the whole time!  I served as a resident ministry intern at the University of San Francisco.  I sang in the choir at the local Jesuit parish.  My life partner is a Creighton graduate and public health nurse; we have two children.  I enjoy quoting random song lyrics, listening to and playing music (guitar), playing basketball, watching the NBA, and going on walks with my family.  I am excited to learn what makes you, uniquely you.  For the greater common good, let us get to work!

I am originally from Kansas City, but thrilled to call Omaha my home again. I earned my B.A. in Justice and Society at Creighton University in 2011. While at Creighton I worked at the SCSJ, studied abroad in the Dominican Republic, and volunteered in the local Omaha community. After graduating, I was a post-graduate volunteer at Annunciation House, a shelter offering hospitality for immigrants on the US/Mexico border. Afterward, I worked for the Tahirih Justice Center, a non-profit in Houston, TX, providing holistic legal services to immigrant women fleeing violence. Most recently, I worked with diverse, low-income families and children, partnering with parents on early childhood education. I am passionate about building bridges for peace within our community and helping form leaders for justice. In my free time, I enjoy eating ice cream and going to the zoo with my husband and two children.

I have called many places home: born and raised in Long Beach, CA, transplanted to Sacramento in middle school, Omaha for my undergraduate studies and—briefly—New York City. (Fun fact: I can tell you how to get to Sesame Street because I lived by Sesame Street.) In 2019 I graduated from Creighton University with a BA in Journalism, English and French. During my sophomore year, an advocacy team leader for the SCSJ invited me to a weekend conference hosted by Catholic Relief Services, opening the way for my future involvement in the SCSJ and, consequently, some of the most meaningful and formative learning experiences I had at Creighton. I went on to participate in three Service and Justice Trips (Winnebago, NE, Mobile, AL and Wheeling, WV), and joined the SCSJ delegation to Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in 2017 and 2018. After graduation, I completed a postgraduate media fellowship at America Media, where I gained invaluable experience generating multimedia content and covering social justice, culture and the Catholic world. The fellowship reinforced my love for justice-oriented storytelling, a passion which I am excited to continue honing with the SCSJ’s communications team as a graduate assistant. I am grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with the Creighton community and pursue my Master’s in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution while working in the SCSJ. I look forward to accompanying students through the discomfort, challenges and joy they’ll experience as they grow into contemplatives in action.