Sam Chechik was raised in Saint Louis, Missouri. At his grade school, Saint Stephen Protomartyr, he got his first taste of service. After writing many reflections and going on multiple trips, he decided that this was something he wanted to continue for the rest of his life. Before high school, he worked with Saint Vincent de Paul, homeless shelters, and food pantries in the Saint Louis area. In grade school Sam's passion for social justice was born, but it only started enkindling throughout his high school years.
Currently, Sam is a junior at Saint Louis University High School. During his first two years at SLUH, he has been involved in numerous activities. Besides being core staff on the school's weekly student newspaper, the Prep News, he also advocates for social justice through Pax Christi, the SLUH social justice club. Having attended the Ignatian Family Teach-In the past two years, he has found a burning passion for social justice. During the Arrupe Leaders Summit in February 2015, Sam realized the true impact of social justice in the world. Back in Saint Louis, Sam heartily enjoys traveling weekly to different service sites around SLUH, and he found that joy culminate in his trip to Camden, New Jersey, for the Urban Challenge, a week-long trip to serve the underprivileged. Besides service, he also works closely with the Pastoral Team by helping to organize Masses, prayer services, and team-building activities. He remains active in the Campus Ministry program, even receiving an award for that same participation his freshman year.
Sam's love for social justice can be summarized in one word: zeal. A synonym for passion, this word denotes the unfiltered fervor for one particular subject, that is, social justice. It is the enthusiastic desire to be immersed in something uncomfortable and love every minute of it. It is the true passion for social justice and the love of those who are mistreated in the world. The issues Sam loves to discuss are fair trade, immigration reform, and capital punishment. You can contact Sam at 2017109@sluh.org if you're interested.
