Examen - Commit to Service, Social Justice, and Solidarity
Commit to Service, Social Justice, and Solidarity
LUC students and alumni are committed to the service of humanity and care for our common home. In learning and action, Ramblers pursue justice and stand in solidarity with those whose dignity is most threatened.
Narrated by Nayeli Leal, BA ‘25
Nayeli is an alumni from Loyola University Chicago. She graduated in May 2025 with a Bachelor's in English and double minors in Philosophy and Anthropology. She was a proud member and co-chair of the Maroon & Gold Society, as well as a 2025 Damen Award recipient. Her most beloved involvements on campus include volunteering through Loyola4Chicago, organizing and facilitating Maroon & Gold Society’s first initiative since its founding, and being a Lead Tutor at the Writing Center. In her free time, she love to spend time with friends and family, read, cook, and learn!
Examen Transcript
Welcome to the Engage Loyola Examen Series. Today, we invite you to reflect upon the milestones, memories, and experiences you’ve had at Loyola and to consider where you might be called in the next steps of your journey. A gift of the spiritual practice of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Examen is a structured meditation that encourages self-reflection and intentionality in our living. We hope that these few minutes affirm and bolster your Loyola journey.
After each set of questions I pose, you’ll have a moment of quiet to reflect. Pause the audio at any time if you need more time for your thoughts to develop or if you wish to remain focused on a particular reflection. Wherever you are as you begin the Examen, take a minute to become aware of the space around you and to take a few deep breaths before you start.
Today, we’re reflecting on the beginning of your journey at Loyola, and your commitment to service, social justice, and solidarity.
All students at Loyola University Chicago share a commitment to the service of humanity and care for our common home. In learning and action, Ramblers should pursue justice and stand in solidarity with those whose dignity is most threatened. As we begin this examen on this Loyola ideal, pause for a minute to bring yourself to this time and this place of personal reflection. Focus on your body and mind in this specific time and place.
To begin your reflection on your Loyola journey and your commitment to service, social justice, and solidarity, picture yourself in front of the IC during Welcome Week, just moments before walking through the green doors for the first time. Most likely, you were filled with feelings of excitement and uncertainty. By stepping through those green doors, you were beginning your journey as a college student: a freshman at Loyola University Chicago. Since then, you have explored campus and met many new friends. You may have explored the beautiful city of Chicago and began to uncover all that it has to offer.
You arrived at Loyola with hopes and values, so looking back at the time that has passed:
- Remind yourself why you chose Loyola to be your home for the next four years.
- What has it felt like to begin this journey?
- Did your thoughts focus on yourself in this transition, or did they include thoughts of your new community on campus and in Chicago?
Loyola and Chicago are now your new playground, your new home. You share this new home, not only with your fellow peers, but with everyone around you: those on the CTA, grocery stores, and neighborhoods. Refugees, immigrants, unhoused people, children, families.. wherever you are, be it a walk, in Damen, on the CTA, look around, these are some of your new neighbors.
If you scroll on Loyola’s website in an attempt to learn more about the university’s mission and identity, you may stumble across a quote from Pedro Arrupe: “Only by being a person for others does one fully become human.”
So, how can we become a person for others?
Service to others can be the most fulfilling aspect of one’s life. Think about when you were in need of community or compassion:
- Who showed up for you?
- What qualities did they have?
- Now ask yourself, what qualities do you have that can help others?
Whether you are a strong listener, a patient friend, a passionate advocate, or someone who always brings a laugh, there is a community that needs exactly what you offer.
As you reflect on your commitment to justice, recognize that no one is perfect and that we are all learning and growing, including through mistakes or missteps.
Is there a moment when you have struggled to be a person of service and justice?
Have you struggled to connect with a peer or instructor who is different than you are?
Have you chosen to ignore an opportunity to act for justice?
Be honest about any of these moments, seeing the room for your ongoing growth.
Service, social justice, and solidarity can look different for each of us and for the communities we are part of. As you leave this examen, please consider:
- How can you apply service to your schedule?
- What communities are you drawn to? What communities can help you grow?
- Who benefit from your gifts, and who might you learn from?
Loyola has opportunities for growth in service, and you have the next few years to take advantage of them all. Whenever you feel distant from understanding your purpose in service, return to this space. Let it ground you in reflection and in your calling to be a person for others.
Thank you for spending time with this Engage Loyola reflection. Return to this Examen anytime you want to reflect on this part of your Loyola journey. Or try another of the Engage Loyola Examens available where you found this reflection.
Commit to Service, Social Justice, and Solidarity
LUC students and alumni are committed to the service of humanity and care for our common home. In learning and action, Ramblers pursue justice and stand in solidarity with those whose dignity is most threatened.
Narrated by Nayeli Leal, BA ‘25
Nayeli is an alumni from Loyola University Chicago. She graduated in May 2025 with a Bachelor's in English and double minors in Philosophy and Anthropology. She was a proud member and co-chair of the Maroon & Gold Society, as well as a 2025 Damen Award recipient. Her most beloved involvements on campus include volunteering through Loyola4Chicago, organizing and facilitating Maroon & Gold Society’s first initiative since its founding, and being a Lead Tutor at the Writing Center. In her free time, she love to spend time with friends and family, read, cook, and learn!
Examen Transcript
Welcome to the Engage Loyola Examen Series. Today, we invite you to reflect upon the milestones, memories, and experiences you’ve had at Loyola and to consider where you might be called in the next steps of your journey. A gift of the spiritual practice of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Examen is a structured meditation that encourages self-reflection and intentionality in our living. We hope that these few minutes affirm and bolster your Loyola journey.
After each set of questions I pose, you’ll have a moment of quiet to reflect. Pause the audio at any time if you need more time for your thoughts to develop or if you wish to remain focused on a particular reflection. Wherever you are as you begin the Examen, take a minute to become aware of the space around you and to take a few deep breaths before you start.
Today, we’re reflecting on the beginning of your journey at Loyola, and your commitment to service, social justice, and solidarity.
All students at Loyola University Chicago share a commitment to the service of humanity and care for our common home. In learning and action, Ramblers should pursue justice and stand in solidarity with those whose dignity is most threatened. As we begin this examen on this Loyola ideal, pause for a minute to bring yourself to this time and this place of personal reflection. Focus on your body and mind in this specific time and place.
To begin your reflection on your Loyola journey and your commitment to service, social justice, and solidarity, picture yourself in front of the IC during Welcome Week, just moments before walking through the green doors for the first time. Most likely, you were filled with feelings of excitement and uncertainty. By stepping through those green doors, you were beginning your journey as a college student: a freshman at Loyola University Chicago. Since then, you have explored campus and met many new friends. You may have explored the beautiful city of Chicago and began to uncover all that it has to offer.
You arrived at Loyola with hopes and values, so looking back at the time that has passed:
- Remind yourself why you chose Loyola to be your home for the next four years.
- What has it felt like to begin this journey?
- Did your thoughts focus on yourself in this transition, or did they include thoughts of your new community on campus and in Chicago?
Loyola and Chicago are now your new playground, your new home. You share this new home, not only with your fellow peers, but with everyone around you: those on the CTA, grocery stores, and neighborhoods. Refugees, immigrants, unhoused people, children, families.. wherever you are, be it a walk, in Damen, on the CTA, look around, these are some of your new neighbors.
If you scroll on Loyola’s website in an attempt to learn more about the university’s mission and identity, you may stumble across a quote from Pedro Arrupe: “Only by being a person for others does one fully become human.”
So, how can we become a person for others?
Service to others can be the most fulfilling aspect of one’s life. Think about when you were in need of community or compassion:
- Who showed up for you?
- What qualities did they have?
- Now ask yourself, what qualities do you have that can help others?
Whether you are a strong listener, a patient friend, a passionate advocate, or someone who always brings a laugh, there is a community that needs exactly what you offer.
As you reflect on your commitment to justice, recognize that no one is perfect and that we are all learning and growing, including through mistakes or missteps.
Is there a moment when you have struggled to be a person of service and justice?
Have you struggled to connect with a peer or instructor who is different than you are?
Have you chosen to ignore an opportunity to act for justice?
Be honest about any of these moments, seeing the room for your ongoing growth.
Service, social justice, and solidarity can look different for each of us and for the communities we are part of. As you leave this examen, please consider:
- How can you apply service to your schedule?
- What communities are you drawn to? What communities can help you grow?
- Who benefit from your gifts, and who might you learn from?
Loyola has opportunities for growth in service, and you have the next few years to take advantage of them all. Whenever you feel distant from understanding your purpose in service, return to this space. Let it ground you in reflection and in your calling to be a person for others.
Thank you for spending time with this Engage Loyola reflection. Return to this Examen anytime you want to reflect on this part of your Loyola journey. Or try another of the Engage Loyola Examens available where you found this reflection.