By Hurley Qi ’22

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Because of the recent Coronavirus outbreak, all Strake Jesuit College Preparatory students will continue online learning until the end of the semester. Without a doubt, online school and social distancing will hinder SJ students’ pursuit to give back to the community, to volunteer, and to be a “Man for Others.” 

However, even though the virus restricts our students from going outside, SJ students can still live up the school motto of being “Men for Others” at home. 

The simplest way for students to practice being a Man for Others is to follow the stay-home and social distancing orders. By staying inside, students can minimize their own risk of getting the virus, which in turn dramatically decreases the risk of their family and the other people around them will get the virus. Following the stay-home order may seem like a minuscule task, but it shows that SJ students care about the welfare of the community and shows that they are willing to contribute to improve our society. 

At home, students can be Men for Others by doing the dishes, mowing the lawn, or even simply cleaning up their room. Such simple house chores are easy to complete and help to relieve stress from parents. Completing house chores really shows that even during such difficult times, a student, with all his stressful school work, can still make some time out of his schedule to help out in the house rather than spend time playing video games. Completing house chores is truly an excellent way to be a Man for Others. 

Students can also be Men for Others by tutoring their fellow students online. By helping out their fellow scholars, students help to improve their SJ community and build stronger relationships between friends. 

There are various other ways for students to be Men for Others during the virus outbreak, but students should always place safety above everything else.