MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Connor Donohoe ’16

Former Constituent Services Representative After completing college, I used my community oriented background while working with Congressman Mike Thompson back home in Napa. It was an incredible honor and challenge to serve constituents in my community and the greater 5th district; it also provided a unique window into the problems we face and the people who work tirelessly to solve them. My colleagues, the countless servants at government agencies, and my boss all inspired me with their work. True public service is not glamorous; it can be extremely challenging, yet ultimately truly rewarding. In my limited experience modeling leadership, I have tried to emulate how it was best shown to me while ensuring everyone is empowered to be themselves; helping each person use their talents for the greater goal; and fostering an environment in which each person feels invested in one another and the outcome of their work. This perspective has been demonstrated to me by countless teachers and mentors, and in my professional career by Congressman Thompson and my colleagues.

Catherine Flaherty ’18

Elected Official - Isla Vista Community Services District What drew you to a life of public service and what value do you place on serving your community? I was drawn to public service positions because they provided me with opportunities to make tangible changes in the lives of those around me. I have been a part of this process first-hand and have found it to be incredibly meaningful, impactful, and rewarding work. It is important to leave your community better than you found it. How do you think you model leadership? How was it modeled for you? I love the quote by Simon Sinek, “leaders eat last.” I hope to model leadership through selflessness, compassion, and awareness. I find it important to lead by example. My style of leadership was first and foremost modeled by my parents, and was also greatly influenced by my leadership teachers while I was a student at Justin-Siena. Learning the value of servant leadership has stuck with me ever since, and I have carried my genuine interest and those skills into college and beyond.

ALUMNI TAKING THE LEAD

Police Sergeant with Napa Police Department Assistant baseball coach In your opinion, what does service look like in your community? Service in Napa equals treating people how you want to be treated; having pride in your actions at all times; and using your unique personal traits to make a positive impact no matter how small or large that impact may be, every day. People do not need a title or position in order to be leaders; just do what is right. Choosing to live a life of service is a calling. How were you called to this life path? What drew you to this line of work? I have always loved challenging environments and tasks, including competitive sports teams. Using these passions while having the opportunity to keep my community safe, drew me to a career as a police officer. I started my career in Northern California, and when the opportunity came along to work and live in Napa, I jumped right on it. Living and working here keeps me connected with our community and its inherent service needs. How do you think you model leadership? How was it modeled for you? I try to have a positive attitude every day. Positivity is a simple way to inspire and motivate. I was lucky to have many impactful leaders in my life, including my parents and several great coaches here at Justin-Siena and in college. What is it like to be back in the Justin-Siena community? Coming back to JSHS to coach has been such a breath of fresh air. The athletic programs, along with the entire student body, seem to be headed in a great direction. I treat the baseball diamond like a classroom; it teaches kids countless great lessons about life. I am just proud and happy to be part of it.

Juan Carlos Mora ’19

What drew you to a life of public service and what value do you place on serving your community? My call to public service came in the wake of the Parkland shooting in February 2018. I was a junior at the time, and the proximity of violence to people I loved compelled me to demand change. My urgency was re-emphasized by the tragic shooting that occurred at the Yountville Lincoln Theater in March 2018, since it was then Justin-Siena students who were imperiled by the gun violence epidemic. I joined with student leaders from other local high schools to organize a protest that received coverage by the Napa Valley Register. I gave a speech on gun violence, and our team hosted a town hall with Congressman Mike Thompson, Napa Police Chief Steve Potter, and NVUSD Superintendent Patrick Sweeney. All roads in my career can be traced back to this protest. It was here that I discovered the needs of my community aligned with my passion, and thus I found my vocation. How do you think you model leadership? How was it modeled for you? Perhaps one of the most memorable and impactful lessons I learned at Justin-Siena was servant leadership. Guided by my mentors in the Lasallian Student Life Office, Mr. (Bob) Bailey, Mr. Cordero, Mrs. Neidhoefer, and Ms. Alexander-Short ’07 each demonstrated that servant leadership is about centering the community which you intend to serve. This is a virtue I think is often lost on the way

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ALUMNI TAKING THE LEAD

to Washington, DC. Non-negotiable in my work is demonstrating to my colleagues that servant leadership is an attainable ideal. It can be as simple as including more voices in decision-making, or as complex as requiring social impact reports for technocratic policies. As I have summarized it to my colleagues: it’s about remembering where you come from, and always envisioning at the front of your mind the most vulnerable people impacted by your decision. If the worst off cannot be left better off by your work, then your work needs recalibration. What’s next for you? I am currently in my fourth year at The George Washington University in Washington, DC, pursuing a 5-year BA/MA program. On track to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Spring 2023, and masters in Spring 2024, my next step will be to pursue a Juris Doctorate, joining the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Program, and ultimately commissioning as an officer in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, the legal arm of the United States Air Force.

Morgan Malloy ’15

Operations Technician at MIV Insurance Services, LLC Current JV Boys Basketball Coach In your opinion, what does service look like in your community? While there are many ways to serve in one’s community, for me, serving means coaching. In coaching younger generations, I am able to connect and teach them what it means to respect and welcome all people, while challenging them as athletes to push themselves through difficult situations. How do you think you model leadership? How was it modeled for you? As an athlete, my coaches were some of the most impactful leaders in my life. They taught me what it means to work hard, stay humble, and pick others up when they are down. It wasn’t just about the individual, but the collective experience. My coaches pushed me to be a leader on and off the court, while reminding me that serving and leading cannot be done without the respect and support of the whole community. Choosing to live a life of service is a calling. How were you called to this life path? What drew you to this line of work? My personal journey with athletics is what drew me into coaching. I hoped to have an opportunity to serve the community in the same way my coaches led me while I was a young athlete. There were many and varied lessons learned along the way as I was pushed through hardships and conflict. My leaders had a way of challenging me to be a better athlete, as well as a better person - all while maintaining mutual respect in a coach-to-player relationship. This perspective influenced my decision to step into the role of coaching. What is it like to be back in the Justin-Siena community? Being a part of the Braves community again has been a special opportunity. Giving back to JustinSiena, a place that supported me for so many years, by influencing the future generations of students, is a cycle I hope to continue as we move forward. By exemplifying the Justin-Siena mission, we, as leaders, encourage our Braves to grow into respectable young adults who will learn to serve in the Lasallian tradition.

“Serving and leading cannot be done without the respect and support of the whole community. ”

Choosing to live a life of service is a calling. How were you called to this life path? Sometimes we overthink what it means for God to “call” people to one way of life or another. You don’t have to wait to hear a voice before you make a decision! As I became more intentional in knowledge and practice of our Catholic faith, I was drawn toward the life of religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to seek holiness “full-time” as a witness to the Church and to the whole world. More specifically I found that the Dominican traditions of prayer, study, community, and preaching offered the best use of my strengths and the best support for my many weaknesses. After graduating from Justin-Siena and the University of Notre Dame, and completing my master’s degree at the London School of Economics, I entered formation. That started with the Western Dominican Province in 2018, where I spent a year as a novice at St. Dominic’s Priory in San Francisco. Our novice master calls it a year of “trying on” the Order, which is fitting because it’s a year that begins with getting clothed in our habit. Now back in Oakland for two more years of theology studies, I’m helping train the Diocese of Oakland’s next wave of catechists. In 2024, I will be eligible to make solemn vows, that is, vows until death. Most Dominican friars also get ordained as priests, which I anticipate, God willing, in the summer of 2026. Please stop by and pray with us in Oakland, San Francisco, St. Dominic’s Church in Benicia, or St. Raymond’s Church in Menlo Park!

James Sasser ’93

Broadway and Screen Actor How did Justin-Siena prepare you to lead in your life? Justin-Siena was really the first community that was about a bigger life picture for me; it was a home for me scholastically, artistically, spiritually, and socially. The Theatre Arts performances, our Eco Club recycling on campus, Just-in-Service Day singing at senior homes, and more, instilled an incredible sense of service in me. I have carried this spirit of community with me through my career in the arts and not-for-profit education and fundraising. Justin-Siena shaped the kind of person and artist I strove to be. How do you serve the community through the arts? Service and education are at the heart of what I do. Professionally, I have had one foot in the for-profit arts world and the other in the not-for-profit arts and education community throughout my career. The best outreach programs are ones that aim for this experience — bringing professionals into communities as ambassadors or educators to give access to underserved communities. The volunteer work I’ve done over the years has had education as its focus, in city schools in Brooklyn and Queens, or Artists Striving to End Poverty (now “Arts Ignite”) where I traveled to rural India to create new musicals with students from the Dalit community near Bangalore. When I am performing around the country, I also teach master classes for local young actor programs. These are my favorite groups of students to work with! Classes range from Shakespeare, to Audition Technique, to Musical Theater Vocal Literature, to Writing for New Musical Theater.