Ignatian spirituality has quietly shaped the way I see and move through the world. From an early age, I learned that faith is not something to hold but something to live—faith as action, as presence, as service. Over time, I discovered that this action springs from a deeper movement: to praise, reverence, and serve God and neighbor. From that source has come a question that has accompanied me like a whisper since high school: How can I love and serve more?
My first experience of service came at age seventeen, through the weekly volunteer hours required by my Jesuit high school in Madrid. I was assigned to accompany women with disabilities—simply being with them, organizing leisure activities, and sharing joy. What began as an assignment quickly became something else: I found myself having fun, feeling deeply grounded, and discovering parts of myself I didn’t yet have words for.
Soon after, I began teaching science to young adults—some even older than me—who had been pushed out of the educational system and were striving to earn their secondary education diploma. Every Friday morning for four years, I worked alongside them as they reclaimed their futures. Their stories were often extreme; the context was challenging. And yet, I felt fully alive, profoundly called, and able to put my gifts into action. Years later, when I found myself unhappy doing research in gene therapy, I remembered the joy I felt in that small classroom. That memory is what pushed me to leave the lab and pursue a master’s degree in education after finishing my degree in gene therapy.
That same summer, I traveled to Peru to work with Fe y Alegría, a Jesuit-affiliated institution whose mission is to bring education “where the asphalt ends.” There, everything clicked into place. Serving in rural communities, witnessing resilience and hope, and teaching young people who were determined to transform their reality—all of it shaped the path I walk today: education for justice.
My vocation now is to accompany others in seeing reality clearly, reflecting deeply, and transforming love into deeds. I try to walk with those who refuse to close their eyes to injustice and to be a window for those who have yet to discover. My work has taken me from classrooms to courtrooms, from rural communities to renowned universities, from collective struggles to personal encounters. Through it all, I’ve learned that encounter is the only path to transformation, and hospitality the only response to the unknown.
Serving migrants and refugees today at Jesuit Refugee Service—through education, advocacy, and organizing—has brought me full circle. My story of service—beginning with a seventeen‑year‑old girl in Madrid and continuing through Africa, Latin America, and now the United States—has shaped not only my sense of purpose but my entire way of loving. I cannot look at the world the same way. I cannot turn my face from my brothers and sisters. I rely on the One who alone makes change possible.
Clara Sayans, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)/USA Outreach Manager