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Saint Ignatius High School

Generations to Generations

From Generations to Generations: Read about how Saint Ignatius Shapes Lifelong Servants of the Community – written by Jad Alsouss ’25
Written by Jad Alsouss '25

Time and time again, alumni ask, “Is this Saint Ignatius, the Saint Ignatius I went to?” and the answer is yes… and no. The simple explanation is that Ignatius has evolved, but has retained its core values, the same rich qualities that have shaped so many, past and present. As many alumni would testify, Saint Ignatius is a molding factor in the lives of many, instilling rich values of hard work, others-oriented thinking, and above all, strong faith into each and every one of its students—whether that be a past graduate like John Nestor ’63 or myself, soon-to-be graduate Jad Alsouss. Though our graduation years will be over 60 years apart, we have both been shaped by the values of our famed Alma Mater, taking our unique approach to impact a critical gem within our community—the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.

Mr. Nestor ’63 has been an active member of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank’s Board of Directors for 13 years. His motivation to become involved came from a conversation with one of his sons who returned from a day of volunteering at the food bank saying, “Dad, there are people who don’t have enough food.” Nestor later joined the board and served for four years before accepting the invitation to become chairman of the board for six years.

This summer I had the privilege of participating in the Bank of America Student Leaders program, an eight-week internship at a nonprofit organization. Knowing my internship would be at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, I accepted immediately, grateful to be able to expand the small-scale charity I experienced in our school’s St. Joseph Labre Ministry to the Homeless to a larger scale at the food bank. 

I was honored to meet with Mr. Nestor to discuss our unique experiences and callings to the food bank. Though our experiences were extremely different, we held a shared commitment to serving our neighbors in need. We agreed that Ignatius' values, sense of community, and supportive teachers and administration inspired both Mr. Nestor and me to get involved, and we are both deeply grateful for that. Mr. Nestor’s time as board chair and mine as an intern exemplify our school’s mission of practicing faith through action, proving that although Saint Ignatius has evolved, its core values remain ever the same, shaping community-oriented leaders since 1886. 

Mr. Nestor was recently named a life director on the Food Bank Board of Directors, solidifying his lifelong commitment to service at the food bank in this special way. I hope to emulate half of Mr. Nestor’s impact on this community by taking his advice of finding something I am passionate about and having an impact.

“In loving memory of Michael Nestor, beloved son of John and Karen.”

Read the full issue of the Fall Saint Ignatius magazine here!