Student: Scotty Monteith

CSA Story Header for Scotty Monteith; a headshot image of him on a maroon and gold background

Check out Scotty sharing some of his story on Instagram!

Scotty Monteith
He/Him
Junior - Environmental Policy major, Environmental Economics minor

Where are you from?
Louisville, KY

What do you like to do?
I like to go on food runs with my club, Food Recovery Network. I also like walking and exploring Chicago and playing basketball in Halas. Going to movies, plays and stand-up are also really fun. Honestly, I am easily entertained.

How are you involved in Community Service & Action?
I am politically engaged in my community by partaking in the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice (IFTJ) with CSA and being in Student Environmental Alliance (SEA) and Inside Government. The IFTJ can be considered community service because I lobbied in Washington DC for my community. As part of the IFTJ delegation I helped lobby for the Donald McEachin Environmental Justice For All Act. This would help ensure people had access to parks, clean air and water, a just transition for fossil fuel workers, and many of environmental justice goals would be achieved. With SEA I partake in protesting more locally for better environmental legislation here in Chicago. As the President of Inside Government, I am also heavily involved with community service by being part of a great team that opens the door for many students to be able to get internships or jobs in government.

Why do you engage in the community?
I have an immense love for all of God’s creations that is why I help restore the earth with Restoration Club and why I volunteer my Saturdays helping at A Just Harvest (AJH). Hunger is a policy choice at the end of the day and requires legislative change, but it is nice that I can help out my community every weekend.

As I mentioned above that hunger is a policy choice and while I do enjoy being able to help my community by feeding families in a perfect world there would be legislation in place where no family has to starve because they can’t afford to eat or has to sleep outside because they can’t afford a place to live. I’m choosing to be a environmental policy major in hope that I one day can make legislation that will brink drinkable water to Eastern Kentucky and all over the US and even the world. I would love to help be a part of a movement that allows people to be able to walk everywhere without the need for cars.

I engage with my community because when I look around and see invasive honeysuckle I get angry. I engage with my community because I know Loyola has food the spare so the right thing to do is to help feed others. I engage with my community because when I look around and see all the problems going on it just makes sense for me to want to help where I can. Whether that’s lobbying, working at LUREC, or helping at AJH.

What is one of your favorite stories from your community engagement experiences?
When I was volunteering at AJH a few months ago a family came in speaking no English and we were able to give them food. With the migrant crisis as bad as it is, it is nice to know that I was able to help at least one family. I have also seen it among the student body whenever we host our Rambler Recovery Week at the end of the semester. We always get hundreds of pounds of nonperishable food donated to help restock AJH’s food pantry. Just knowing that many Loyolan’s see themselves as being more than just part of the Loyola community and that they see themselves as part of a great Rogers Park Community is nice to see.

In the spirit of Sr. Jean and her belief in the goodness of people that she shares in her book, “Wake Up With Purpose,” where have you seen the goodness of others in your community engagement experiences?
Whenever we can recover food from other club meetings, I can see goodness in my community. It shows that so many people in this school are interested in helping reduce food waste and helping out the Rogers Park neighborhood. Every time I walk into AJH and I see the workers, who typically look exhausted, I see goodness in others. So many people have devoted their life to helping others and it is nice to see.

The last internship fair Inside Government hosted allowed me to see goodness in government services, which is often harder to see. It meant so much to have government employees know how important it is to have young people help out and get their voices heard that over thirty offices showed up offering internship programs.

How are you involved at Loyola outside of CSA?
I am on the e-board for Food Recovery Network, where we collect the unused food from the dining halls and donate it to A Just Harvest which is off the Howard stop. We also volunteer there once a month helping them organize their food storage and help hand out food to the individuals who come for a meal. I also participate in restoration club workdays where I help with restoration work in LUREC. I am the president of Inside Government, I work for Loyola’s Military Veteran Student Services (MVSS) office, and I participate in SEA.

What advice would you give to an incoming student at Loyola?
Just get involved. The worst that happens is you went to really bad club meeting, but at least you’ll have a fun story to tell. I’ve heard a lot of freshman say it’s so hard to make friends on this, and I just wish people knew that they don’t have to be friends with just their roommate (it helps) but go to club meetings, go to Thursday night mass (even if you’re not Catholic they have ice cream afterwards and free ice cream is awesome), go to sporting events, go to LUCommunity and just find something you’re interested in.