Welcome our new bloggers

Though we get to hold on to Dermot through December, we welcome new bloggers from some of our other regions!
From the Midwest, meet Justin:

Justin grew up in Arabi, LA, a city in St. Bernard Parish located next to the lower 9th ward of New Orleans. He was raised by his perfectionist dad Anthony, a New Orleans policeman, and selfless mom, Karen. His older brother, Anthony Jr., currently works for Cintas Uniform Co. in Pensacola, FL, and his younger brother, Vinnie, is a freshman at Southeastern Louisiana University. Justin attended Jesuit High School in New Orleans and is a graduate of St. Edward’s University (Austin, TX) with a BA in Theology and a minor in English Writing & Rhetoric. Despite dealing with two major hardships over the past several years, the loss of his father to cancer during his senior year of high school and the loss of his home to Hurricane Katrina during his sophomore year of college, Justin enjoys finding humor in all things. He has performed as a stand-up comedian and co-hosted an internet radio show in Austin. Justin currently resides in St. Louis, MO, with four other Jesuit Volunteers. He works for Franciscan Connection, performing home repairs and renovations for senior citizens and low income families.

From the South, meet Lauren:

Lauren Carpenter is from East Hartford, Connecticut. In May 2008, she graduated from Smith College in Northampton, MA with a major in anthropology and a minor in Spanish. While at Smith, she rowed on the crew team, spent her junior year studying in Puebla, Mexico and was an active member “the Radical Catholic Feminists of Smith.” This year she is working at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in San Antonio, Texas. At Our Lady of Guadalupe, she runs the Social Services Office which provides groceries and financial assistance to families in need. She also works with the youth ministry program and other parish activities.

From the Southwest, meet Matt:

Mathew Carroll was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts and graduated from Boston College in 2008 where he studied Philosophy and English. With none of Wall Street’s top Philosophy firms hiring, Matt decided to pursue a career as a contemplative in action at Homeboy Industries, the nation’s largest outreach center for gang members, located in Los Angeles, CA. This is the first time living away from Boston for Matt, so a little homesickness is natural. Fortunately, Southern California’s recent futility against New England sports serves as an easy reminder of home. When he’s not working as a case manager at Homeboy, Matt enjoys “practicing” guitar, writing, sports, reading, the outdoors, and 90’s boy band music (perhaps just a bit too much).