I attend a Jesuit school that is embodied with Jesuit values for higher education such as the Jesuit value of ‘Magis.’

According to the Santa Clara University website, this value is defined as a Latin meaning for the word “more” and “embodies the act of discerning the greater good in a given situation to better glorify or serve God. Magis does NOT mean to always do or give ‘more’ to the point of exhaustion. Magis is the value of striving for the better, striving for excellence.”

Two weekends ago I worked as a student facilitator for a Magis Retreat held once every year for sophomore and junior students. I attended as a participant the year before and I came back this year to be a part of the Magis team. The experience I had as a participant was incredibly meaningful and opened my eyes to what the meaning of Magis truly is to me.

A dominant theme throughout the retreat was centered around story sharing and giving in to vulnerability. Those two actions can either be something you don’t mind doing or something you’re terrified of. I found that reflecting on my past and exposing myself has created some unexpected benefits that have led me closer to finding my “why” in life.

Overall, this retreat came down to how your past works as a tool in discerning the greater good to better serve one’s community.

What was it about my past and my ability to be vulnerable that shapes how I serve my community today and for the future? As a child of an immigrant mother and an American father, my childhood revolved around being confused with who I am.

I am racially ambiguous and because I do not speak Spanish fluently, I didn’t feel like I fit in with my Latinx family. Yet, the experiences of my immigrant family inspired me to pursue serving my community through social justice work.

I recently studied abroad in Bologna, Italy where I worked closely with the migrant community located there and throughout Italy. Never before have I felt so passionate about the community I was with, I knew then this is what I want to do most in my life which is to better serve the migrant community.

During my work with Magis, I opened up about issues around having a mother who is a part of the migrant community and the complexity of having separate families who don’t quite understand the concerns of migrants. The compassion and support I received from Magis participants further ensured me of the “More” I hope to achieve.

The “More” in Magis means to me what I want to achieve for the betterment of society. I want to do more to help my community. I want to be more true to myself and happy with who I am. I want to work for more equality and opportunities for others. In either serving God or serving your community, it is about putting something greater than yourself before you, but not to the point of exhaustion. The meaning of “Magis” is finding what it is you want to do “more” of and striving for it.