Home » Features » Newest Loretto Volunteers bring passion for justice to Loretto and to community work

Newest Loretto Volunteers bring passion for justice to Loretto and to community work

Posted on December 5, 2021, by Annie Rosenkranz

Loretto Volunteers explore and embody the program’s core values of intentional community, spirituality, solidarity, sustainability and social justice.

We are excited to kick off the 2021-2022 Loretto Volunteer Program year! We have welcomed seven volunteers who are serving with social justice organizations in Denver and El Paso while living in intentional community and deepening their engagement with Loretto values.

Developed in collaboration with the Loretto Community, the following goals will guide the program through the coming year:

  1. The Loretto Volunteer Program carries forward the Loretto Community’s commitment to working for justice and acting for peace in the world through activism, advocacy, service and acting in solidarity for change.
  2. The Loretto Volunteer Program cultivates relationships with the Loretto Community to enhance community, spirituality and mission for both.
  3. The Loretto Volunteer Program partners with local organizations for mutual learning, support and collaboration toward social justice and an integrated volunteer experience.
  4. The Loretto Volunteer Program values intentional community life based on mutual respect, sustainability and solidarity, and supports both the hope and the struggle of community life commitment.
  5. The Loretto Volunteer Program encourages self-reflection and supports inclusive and dynamic exploration of spirituality.

Emily Fordham

Emily Fordham grew up in Moorestown, N.J., but also calls the town of Mashpee, Mass., her home, where she’s spent many summers living, visiting family and working. Emily graduated in May 2021 from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia where she studied psychology primarily, with minors in autism behavioral studies and philosophy. Emily has many hobbies including singing, taking long walks, playing ukelele, eating ice cream and reading. Emily is serving at the Women’s Bean Project in Denver.

Kayla Howell

Kayla Howell grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. She is a recent graduate from Xavier University with a bachelor’s in environmental science, a minor in art and a minor in peace and justice studies Kayla has a passion for the outdoors and enjoys hiking, camping and birdwatching. She also loves art and when she’s not pointing out a bird to the nearest stranger you can see her drawing one. Kayla is passionate about social change and is excited about her year with the Loretto Volunteer Program. Kayla is serving with Villa Maria in El Paso.

Manon Nadeau

Manon Nadeau grew up in Holyoke, Mass., and later attended Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. She graduated this year with a degree in English and secondary education. During her time at Saint Anselm’s, Manon deeply valued the relationships built and days spent at the Sununu Youth Services Center for Adjudicated Youth and this is where her passion for solidarity was fostered. She is passionate about working with youth who are underserved and developing an understanding of the lives they live and the systems that often hold them down. She is also passionate about grief advocacy, normalization and awareness. When her mind isn’t on the work she cares about, you might find Manon reading or sharing poetry, spending time outside, listening to any music genre or yearning to try new foods. She is eager and thankful to start this new journey. Manon is serving with Urban Peak in Denver.

Until you dig a hole, you plant a tree, you water it and make it survive, you haven’t done a thing. You are just talking.

Wangari Maathai

Alisa Ndoci

Alisa Ndoci grew up in Fushe-Arrez, Albania, and first came to the United States as a junior in high school through Youth Exchange and Study (YES). After her exchange year she decided to pursue an education in the U.S. and continued to complete her associate’s degree at a community college, followed by her bachelor’s in political science at Gonzaga University. Alisa wants to study environmental and immigration law hoping to pursue her goal of working toward collective liberation, equity and justice. Alisa’s favorite activities include camping, skiing, hiking, dancing, painting, writing poetry and watching sunsets. Alisa is serving with Angelica Village in Denver.

Georgia Rawhouser-Mylet

Georgia Rawhouser-Mylet grew up in Portland, Ore., and graduated from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, with majors in political science and Spanish. At Grinnell, she was involved with the Liberal Arts in Prison Program, where she coordinated academic programming for incarcerated students and tutored math and social studies in prisons. She was also a member of the choir; she loves singing and is learning to play guitar. In her free time, she likes cooking, gardening, hiking, crafting, listening to podcasts and taking walks with friends. She is interested in politics and public policy, especially as tools of social justice. While living in El Paso, she hopes to continue improving her Spanish. She is excited and grateful to be a Loretto Volunteer this year and is working at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso.

Julia Regalbuto

Julia Regalbuto is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area. She graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington in 2019 with a major in English and minors in Spanish, history and theatre. She then served for two years with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, working in Los Angeles, Calif., at Dolores Mission Church as the Youth Ministry Assistant, and in Newark, N.J., at NJ LEEP as the College Bound program coordinator. When not exploring the cities that hold a place in her heart, Julia enjoys creating kitchen experiments, reading historical fiction and fantasy (and sometimes historical-fiction-fantasy), adding to an ever-increasing number of wall decorations and settling in for a solid romantic comedy. She is serving as a legal assistant with Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services in El Paso.

Jax Viteznik

Jax Viteznik grew up in Portland, Ore., and attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash. She is enjoying her time in Denver and hopes to expand her role as an intersectional feminist, focusing on reproductive rights, racial justice, disability accessibility and sustainability. Jax loves to travel and meet new people, but as an introvert at heart, she also loves to read, write and spend time with her dog. Jax is serving with Loretto at the UN; she serves from Denver and travels to New York City.

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Annie Rosenkranz

Annie is the Director of the Loretto Volunteer Program. She joins the Loretto Volunteer Program after spending the previous 7+ years working in international initiatives and student services at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, MO. Annie's passions lie in travel, all things food, camping, adventure and nature. Her approach to work and life is rooted in solidarity, growing in community, seeking justice and nurturing relationships.
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Loretto welcomes you

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