Lewis Mission Moment: Julia Mach '18

Julia Mach ’18 earned a double bachelors from Lewis in Secondary Education and English. Believe it or not, English is not her first language.

“I decided to go into the teaching field because I struggled with learning English after being adopted from Russia,” says Julia. “I was academically behind when I came to the United States. I wanted to help others students who struggle with comprehending the English language and the things that go along with that, like comprehension and writing.”

Julia wants to get working in the classroom as soon as she can, but for now, she’s opted to transform lives in a different way as a Lasallian Volunteer. As a volunteer, she performs service projects and outreach for a community she is assigned to work in.

Julia turned to a life of service after participating in multiple Lewis University Ministry Alternative Trip Experiences (LUMINATE). During LUMINATE, Lewis students enter a weekend long or week-long service trip during Spring break or after finals are completed in May. LUMINATE service projects include tasks like building houses or gardening all while learning about the importance of social and cultural justice. This year, her volunteerism has taken her to Oregon, Nevada, Washington, and Alaska.

“I was amazed at what could get done in a week, and I liked the idea of being able to live in a new place and meeting new people while helping those who need it most. I liked that I was filling a need.”

Julia calls to mind one young boy who made a lasting impact on her during a volunteer experience at DeLaSalle Academy in California. The boy, a fifth-grade student who struggled with the English language, had the academic comprehension level of a child in the third-grade. Julia worked with him one-on-one for a year to help him improve his reading, writing, and speaking skills. At the end of one year, the boy reached a comprehension level of a fourth-grader and was eligible to remain in his school.

“These experiences are meaningful to me because I like knowing that my skills are being used somewhere that they’re actually needed. It makes me want to do my absolute best for those left to my care.”

Right now, Julia is in Concord, California working to improve the lives of underserved residents and children in the area.

“It has been a great experience to live in California and to be a part of the group. My community gets along really well with each other and we’ve become a small family over the past year. I will miss them, but I’m looking forward to joining a new community next year.”

Julia plans to remain with the Lasallian Volunteers for a bit longer, but looks forward to coming back to the classroom to earn her master’s degree in Social Work to help children. When Julia isn’t performing service, she enjoys traversing the Concord and San Francisco areas of California, attending festivals and making new friends. While the travel is fun, she says it’s really about bringing joy and service to where she is assigned.

“My goal is to make as much of a difference as possible for the people I serve. I’m not just there to fill a job, I’m there to fill a need.  I want to make an everlasting impression on others.”

Lewis Mission Moment: How A Former Student & Professor is Using Urban Agriculture to Cultivate Healthy Lifestyles and Relationships

On the south side of Chicago sits a quarter acre farm.

That’s right: A quarter acre farm that grew and distributed more than 4,000 pounds of fresh produce to farmers and local residents around Chicago within its first operational year.

Just Roots is a non-profit co-founded by former Lewis student, campus minister, and professor, Sean Ruane ‘12. Sean spent the first nine years of his life in the Midwest before moving to Georgia with his family. It was only when he moved back to the Midwest to attend school at Lewis that he began to see just how hard it was for some communities in Chicago to gain access to locally sourced and reasonably priced produce.

“Over the last 75 years, Americans have progressively become more and more disconnected from their food – where it comes from, how it’s grown, and healthy cooking and diet practices,” says Sean. “Additionally, many people who want to eat better don’t have access to healthy foods due to socioeconomic, educational, and geographic barriers.”

Just Roots is starting from the ground up – literally – to change that. The organization offers on-site educational opportunities for those interested in learning about growing fruits and veggies in an urban setting and leading a healthier lifestyle. The farm is also open to tours, volunteers, and those who want to become community partners.

“It feels very fulfilling to do work that benefits the community and that I’m deeply energized about. It’s one of the greatest blessings of my life.”

Sean says his family history and his enthusiasm to educate others is what partly sparked this initiative.

“My grandfather lived on a farm in Ireland before he immigrated to the United States and my mom was always outside gardening when I was a kid. So I like to think that growing food is in my blood. Early on in my life, I was interested in becoming a teacher. When I moved back to Chicago, I started seeing just how disconnected people were from their food and I realized I wanted to blend my passion for education with my goal to empower people to lead healthier lives.”

Before starting Just Roots, Sean earned his bachelor’s in Secondary Education and History from Lewis and was a Men’s Baseball player for two years. He was multi-year Dean’s List student and recipient of the Brother David Delahanty award for his excellence as a student-athlete. He was also heavily involved in campus ministry programming, an activity that allowed him to cultivate his passion for community. After graduation, Sean returned to Lewis as the coordinator of social justice education in campus ministry and as an adjunct professor for undergraduate theology and sociology, leading immersion experiences and teaching The Search For Faith and Cultural Diversity before jumping on the chance to start Just Roots.

Sean is proud of the organization and the goals he and his team have accomplished, despite Just Roots being in its infancy years.

“It’s always easier to think about things we could be doing better, but if I have to choose one thing that I’m really proud of, I’d say it’s the fact that we’ve built up a really strong network of people (staff, board, volunteers) who believe in the work we’re doing and want to see us continue improving 

the lives of community members.”

Just Roots hopes to reach their goal of growing more than 10,000 pounds of food in 2019 at their south side farm. They hope to open a second farm site in the near future to spread a love of growing food and to empower others to cultivate healthy lifestyles -- and relationships.

To learn more about Sean, his team, and Just Roots visit: https://justrootschicago.org/