Loyola University Chicago

University Staff Council

February 2015

Lauren Schwer

Title/s:  Associate Director

Email: lschwer@luc.edu

About

Department/School/Division: Campus Ministry
Campus: 
Lake Shore Campus
Years at Loyola: 
5

What is your favorite thing about working at Loyola?
I continue to be impressed and inspired by the amazing students at Loyola. Watching their generosity, growth, and desire to serve others in the context of the fast-paced nature of life is a privilege. I also love working with an amazing team in Campus Ministry. My colleagues are creative, compassionate, and full of integrity.

What is your most memorable achievement as a Loyola employee?
This year's senior class is the first group that participated in Loyola 360, a retreat for first year students. Being able to hear the senior captains and other leaders share how the retreat helped them connect to the greater Loyola community and to what it means to be at a Jesuit institution is a gift we don't always get in our work. 

What does Loyola's mission mean to you?
At the end of the day, I believe our mission is about enabling students to recognize their own goodness, passions, and talents; about providing space for them to pray, reflect, think, and discover; and challenging them to practically and tangibly connect those gifts to the needs of the world. To steal a line from Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., "The true measure of a Jesuit education is not what our students do, but who they become." I believe my call is to find concrete ways of supporting students in that process.

What motivates you to succeed each and every day?
I received amazing care and formation as a student at another Jesuit institution. Knowing how important those relationships were and still are for me, I strive to give my best to our students and to my co-workers here. On the long days, I remember those mentors that supported me even when it was inconvenient or when they were tired themselves.

Tell us how you show your Rambler pride. 
I do my best to get to as many volleyball (both men's and women's) games as possible! Watching the men’s national championship, as well as all the other Final Four matches last year was such an amazing opportunity to see how talented our students are. I also try to get to soccer and basketball games when they are at home. Hoyne Field is really not that far away! The soccer teams always welcome fans with enthusiasm!

Tell us something most people at Loyola would be surprised to know about you. 
I traveled to all 50 states before I turned 30…which means now you also know I'm older than that! My favorite states include Maine, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Montana.