Lucas is a senior at Swarthmore College, double-majoring (with honors!) in Physics and Chinese. We asked Lucas some questions about his interests, his faith, and his plans for the future.
 
Q: What do you like about St. Jude parish?
St. Jude has always been like a home to me. Going to the parish school when I was younger was what first nurtured my love for learning, and attending Mass both in and outside of school helped me connect with my faith and grow both as a student and a child of God. Every time I return home from college and come to Mass, I always find a friendly face or two, and I appreciate how much it truly feels like a community.
 
Q: How do you nurture your faith?
The most obvious answer to me is daily prayer and weekly Mass. Being close to God is something that one has to actively strive toward, whatever form that pursuit might take. Even in times when I’m busy or feeling overwhelmed, taking a moment to step back and reflect is always beneficial, whether it’s simply talking to God or actively praying.
 
Q: What advice can you give to parents of young adults?
Be patient. I remember in my experiences as a young adult, there were a lot of challenges that I had to deal with in everyday life. In addition to stressors from school and sports and other activities, I was dealing with a lot more complex feelings and interpretations of the world around me, which made connecting with others and (to an extent) myself more difficult than before. At the end of the day, parents should be patient and willing to listen to and try to understand what their children are going through.
 
Q: What advice can you give to people your age about remaining close to God?
The biggest thing, I think, is acknowledging the existence of God in your everyday life. Not necessarily going out of your way to tie everything back to Him, but simple things like admiring His creation on a particularly nice day, or seeing His work in your life or others’ lives who are close to you. Simply acknowledging the good things in day to day life can help lead you back to Him.
 
Q: As a senior in college, what are your plans for the future?
I'm planning on going to grad school for Physics to get my Ph.D, and then after that, either research or teaching.
 
Q: What do you do for fun? What are some of your hobbies?
I’m involved with performing arts on campus, both theater activities and the a capella choir. Theater is something I’ve done since my time at St. Jude School, as well as singing with the children’s choir, and I enjoyed both of them enough to continue doing them up until now. Aside from hanging out with friends, I also enjoy playing video games when I have a break from schoolwork. 
 
Thank you, Lucas, and good luck in the future!