Javier Navarro ’17
Majors: English, philosophy; minor: theatre arts
Next step: Ignatian Service Corps
Javier Navarro has not yet decided the direction his career will take after he completes a year of service in the Ignatian Service Corps. But that’s not a problem. For Navarro, a year of post-graduate full-time service will be a great way to try on a career.
“I know I want to work with nonprofits that improve communities, but I am also interested in business – and writing,” he said. “Doing a year of service will help me discern what I’m good at, and what I love.”
As an Ignatian Service Corps (ISC) member, he will work a full-time job at a Los Angeles nonprofit, while living in an intentional community with other volunteers in South Los Angeles. A post-graduate program offered by LMU’s Center for Service and Action, ISC also offers professional development from LMU’s Career and Professional Development team. So, Navarro will get special access to career coaching and skill development all year long.
Navarro has been active in service since he arrived at LMU. As the 2016 president of the Ignatians service organization, he led a 70-member group of students that collectively contributes hundreds of service hours per year to local organizations, including a juvenile detention facility, a men’s homeless shelter, an elementary school, and others.
Navarro has not been matched with a placement organization for his year of service yet. He might end up supporting a prison re-entry program, a health clinic, or even college counseling at a local high school. That uncertainty could be nerve-racking, but he is ready: his service leadership at LMU has prepared him to excel wherever he lands.
Seniors at Loyola Marymount University have been preparing for life after LMU all year. In our Beyond the Bluff series, liberal arts seniors reflect on their post-graduate next steps and the experiences that shaped their career plans.
