SEATTLE – Whether he’s interning at the Seattle Clemency Project, speaking at a fundraiser for new school buses or helping at a middle-school tennis camp, Seattle Preparatory School sophomore Kenny Ouedraogo is living his faith by serving others.

“The main goal … is to serve others and, while serving others, you give glory to God,” Ouedraogo said. “When I pray, I pray for others.” 

All of the more than 700 students at the Jesuit high school participate every year in the Magis Christian Service Program.

“Service and social justice is a big component of what we do,” said William Liu, Seattle Prep’s assistant principal for student life and director of Magis.

Seattle Prep students help assemble furniture for Catholic Housing Service’s Martina Apartments in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood. (Courtesy William Liu)

Freshmen focus on service projects at their former schools or a faith community, while sophomores serve at Seattle Prep and juniors serve in the greater Seattle community. Senior year, the focus is on advocacy and research.

As the students move through the experiences, “they are reflecting deeply on what their role is,” Liu said. “A big piece of all their service is reflecting.”

As a freshman, Dean Johnson found service while manager of the freshman boys basketball team. The team helped the Down Syndrome Community of Puget Sound move to a new location in addition to serving at the Ballard Food Bank. Johnson, now a sophomore, continues volunteering at the food bank.

“Your purpose should be to give back to the people while you’re here,” he said.

‘Faith is embedded into people caring for one another’ 

In the wake of COVID-19, Seattle Prep tweaked its Magis program requirements. Instead of completing a certain number of service hours, the focus for students now is on the number of events and experiences. That has resulted in students looking more at the intention behind their service, Liu said. 

Having freshmen serve at their former schools helps maintain ties between those schools and Seattle Prep, Liu said. When juniors venture into the community to serve, they bring back a lot of stories and experiences that help prepare them for their senior year.

: Seattle Prep students gather at Montlake Park to help Seattle Parks and Recreation with a landscaping project in early 2022. (Courtesy William Liu)

Last October, 11 Prep students traveled to Washington, D.C., for the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice, joining about 500 other students from Jesuit high schools and universities. 

“I really resonated with the call to action and call to service,” said Estelle Sevilla, a senior who participates in Prep’s Global Justice Coalition. Sevilla, a member of Assumption Parish in Seattle, said her time at Seattle Prep “has really inspired me to see this line of work to be part of my life and career.”

Also participating in the Teach-In was sophomore Xana Roper, another member of the Global Justice Coalition, who said the conference experiences helped her understand what she is advocating for. 

Like Ouedraogo, she has interned with the Seattle Clemency Project. She also helped with a panelist event held at Prep last fall and wants to help organize the school’s Peace and Justice Week — “a time for people to come together and promote peace and social justice,” she explained.

What Roper has learned about service has extended into her daily life. When her neighbor had to move to an assisted-living home, Roper said she visited her regularly and even started working at the home.

“My service has helped me understand the love that is written into faith,” Roper said, and “how much faith is embedded into people caring for one another.”