People of SJ

“We go to Italy every summer for about 2 months. We have a lot of family that lives there that we visit. My grandfather and his brother are the original owners of J&S Pizza. They created it after coming to America from Italy. My siblings and I grew up working there with my family.”

“I knew I wanted to go to an SEC school; I wanted to go back to the south because that's where I am from. LSU was one of two of the schools down in that area that have the 3+3 law program which saves a year on tuition. It definitely is a new beginning for me going eighteen hours away and over a thousand miles from home.  It's just a fresh start, which is something I really need.   It will be a new chapter for my life, a new place. Geaux Tigers!”   

“ I used to wear mostly box braids and changed my styles. I was inspired by the people I saw on social media. They were passionate and spiritually connected with their hair. I finalized my decision and my coils will take about 6 months to loc. ”

“My family is composed of immigrants from Vietnam, and I am the only American born person. There is a large cultural contrast between me and my family, but it allows us to share perspectives that wouldn't have been otherwise possible. Vietnamese culture and language are strict compared to American culture. The language is quite a contrast since the meaning of words are different.  I can say certain things without getting in trouble because it is considered normal here. We also have different customs. For Vietnamese customs, we wear áo dái, which is a traditional Vietnamese dress.” 

Dave Pakulski’s official title is Director of Maintenance yet, he says, “I treat St. Joe’s like it is my own house.” Pakulski knows a lot about how things are made as he owned a construction business before he came to SJ. You can find him fixing lights, hanging up pictures on the walls, and changing furnace filters. 

"In a Catholic school we do things a little bit different. I think understanding the uniforms and some of the obligations that we have here with our code of conduct is helpful.  

Going to Mass, especially being Catholic, is helpful too and a big perk of working here. I think that having teachers that genuinely care is almost a guarantee in a Catholic school because they certainly don’t do it for the money.” 

"I was 3 years old when I started dance. My mom noticed that I really liked it, so she kept encouraging me and I've been dancing ever since. I started competing when I was 10, and I've been doing a lot more jazz and musical theater since then. It helps me get out of my comfort zone.  If you are thinking about doing anything creative, you should! It pushes you a lot as a person, and it helps you make new friends outside of school."

"The church makes pierogies for the Fish Fry, and soon for the summer festival too.  I volunteered to help because I thought it was going to be a very interesting and cool experience. 

In total we made one hundred and thirty dozen, but I personally made over 10 dozen pierogies."

"When I was really young my grandfather had a quad and took me out on it. I wanted one and saved until I could get my own."

"I began riding when I was 7 years old.

Later I started working on flipping houses to make money until I could purchase a quad of my own. "

"One challenge I face in my life is my diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), which has affected my vision since the time of my birth. Due to retinal detachment I am blind in my right eye and have low vision in my left eye.” 

“I overcame adversity through acceptance and creating a plan to mitigate the apparent issue in the most efficient way possible. Most limitations that one encounters can be ameliorated in some way, especially with the support of others.” 

“Advice that I would give to others in our school is to ask for support from teachers, peers, or family members when needed. It is important to take advantage of all the resources available — that is what they are there for.”

“ I went to NCYC (National Catholic Youth Conference) and that’s what made me want to go to St. Joe’s because it was just a bunch of kids who are really active in their faith and are happy to talk about stuff. Everyone was so positive and I thought that ‘if this is what a religious environment is like than that’s what I want to be surrounded with.' "