Senior
JAHENNESSY PARRA has spent her college career on the sidelines but never away from the action. That's the life of a college cheerleader. And though many Hilltoppers have been the epitome of the term student-athlete, few so perfectly encapsulate what it means to be a St. Edward's University student-athlete.
To find a student-athlete as dedicated to serving their community as Parra, one might have to look back to soccer alum Stacey Copeland '10.
From her time as a Hilltopper through her professional boxing career and beyond, Copeland's philanthropic work inspired St. Edward's Stacey Copeland Community Service Award, given each year to the athlete committed to community work alongside sport. Parra has won twice and is building a case for a third consecutive year.
"I was shocked the first time I won the award because my volunteer work wasn't something I talked about much, and my coach nominated me," Parra recalls. "The second time was exciting because Stacey Copeland contacted me, and we had a great conversation about the work I'd done and she was doing."
Parra has logged over 3,000 hours of community service in her three years at St. Edward's. Locally, she's volunteered at food banks and churches, organizing food and clothing drives. At home, she volunteers
at Sunny Farm, an organization that uses therapeutic horsemanship to work with individuals with physical, emotional, social, and cognitive impairments. Her impact also extends beyond Texas through Campus Ministry's Service Break Experiences.
Service Break Experiences are an extension of
Campus Ministry and an opportunity for students to live out the University's mission of service to others in a different location. Through donor funding and negotiated deals, Campus Ministry offers week-long domestic and international experiences at heavily discounted rates.
"Students are here for a short period in their lives with lessons that can impact them for a long time. And while there's immense value in classroom learning, the lessons learned outside the classroom through clubs, organizations, and other communities are equally important," St. Edward's Campus Ministry Senior Associate Director Liza Manjarrez explains. "But the campus can be a bubble. Through Service Break Experiences, we can experience new communities and cultures and engage with people from all walks of life in service to others."
Parra has taken two service trips to New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward to assist organizations like
lowernine.org with ongoing efforts to restore houses and communities ravaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Ida. Last summer, she went on a Service Break Experience to Florida to volunteer with
Give Kids the World Village. The 89-acre resort provides weeklong, cost-free vacations to children suffering from chronic or terminal conditions and their families.
"Jahennessy is an ideal volunteer because she's excited, interested, and dedicated. Not only does she have a positive attitude and outlook no matter the service, she's also a great spokesperson," Manjarrez says. "I know others who've participated in service experiences, whether on campus, in the community, or traveling, because of Jahennessy's influence."
Senior cheerleader
KENNEDY JOHNSON was one of the Hilltoppers inspired by Parra to participate in Campus Ministry's Service Break Experiences. She joined her teammate in New Orleans last spring break.
"We discussed spring break plans, and she said, 'Oh, I'm going on this trip.' I thought that was awesome, so she reached out to Liza. The next thing you know, I'm on the airplane with her," Johnson recalls. "It was one of the best experiences of my life. I got to reconnect with what's happening in the real world and shifted my perspective working with everyone, rebuilding their homes, and seeing their reactions."
The experience of serving others strengthened her friendship with Parra, Johnson says. "We love Jahennessy. We call her the team mom because she looks out for everyone; she's fair and patient. Our relationship deepened throughout the trip. We were like sisters, laughing daily and seeing her in this environment that seems so second nature to her."
The community service trip seemed like second nature for Parra because she'd spent a lifetime observing and participating.
Her parents, Jorge Parra and Krystal Lujan, have always led by example through the best and worst times. Her mother worked at a nursing home, and her parents volunteered, though her mother eventually used a wheelchair due to lupus and other medical ailments when Parra was still a child.
"I think the main reason I love volunteering and helping others is because my mom's handicapped. Since I was little, I've seen my mom struggling and how doctors, nurses, and others have helped her, and I've always wanted to do the same," Parra explains. "I grew up watching how my father cared for my mom and how she never let her sickness get in the way of being joyful or helping others."
Parra says her family has always been quick to help those in need, whether with Thanksgiving dinner or donated clothes. Facebook group requests for aid are also quickly answered. Parra attended church weekly with her mother, becoming a regular volunteer when she reached high school. She also helps care for her mother and assists with her younger brother.
"If there's anything that anybody ever needs, my family has never been one to say no," Parra says.
The way her mother has responded to her medical ailments has shaped Parra in many ways. It motivated her to major in biology at St. Edward's with a pre-nursing concentration. She plans to become a paramedic, following in the footsteps of those she witnessed helping her mother.
It also gave her the gift of connecting with people from all walks of life on a human level, meeting everyone at their needs without a second thought.
"At the Give Kids the World Village, the children are dealing with a myriad of physical issue that manifest them in different ways. Jahennessy was running a coloring station, and there was a non-verbal child with muscle control issues in their upper extremities but could use their feet to color," Manjarrez says. "So, Jahennessy sat with them on the ground and started coloring so they didn't feel excluded from the festivities. The mother walked up and told me we have the most amazing students, and that's a testament to Jahennessey's empathy and knowledge of the right thing to do."
During the winter break of her senior year, Parra is spending time with Johnson and Campus Ministry volunteering at
André House of Arizona. This religious organization assists the unhoused population in Phoenix.
"In our Holy Cross mission, we seek to empower people looking not only at their educational pursuits but also in ways they can make a difference in the world," Manjarrez says. "Jahennessy embodies the Hilltopper spirit in everything she does, from supporting her classmates in their endeavors to being a leader on campus through her work at Monarchs*. She's already made an impact during her time here on the Hilltop, and I can only expect she'll continue long after she leaves."
*Monarchs on the Hilltop is a sponsored student organization dedicated to creating a safe and inclusive community for undocumented students and students from mixed-status families. Its vision is to promote the advanceent of undocumented students in higher educationg by providing community services.
