Javy Warrior Ramirez of Bainbridge Island is one of 10 incoming Saint Martin’s University first-year students who have been selected to serve as the eighth cohort of Benedictine Scholars.
Ramirez, who is graduating from Bainbridge High School, will major in mechanical engineering.
The university’s Benedictine Scholars Program started in the fall of 2012 with the mission to promote a deeper understanding of the Catholic, Benedictine values and heritage that define the university. The Benedictine Scholars serve as ambassadors for the core values of the institution — faith, reason, service and community — both within the university and in the wider world.
Benedictine Scholars serve their communities, meet in small groups and work on a project of their cohort’s own choosing. Projects completed by recent Benedictine Scholars cohorts have included the restoration and re-installation of the Stations of the Cross throughout the Saint Martin’s campus, the creation of a large Saint Martin’s-themed mural, assisting with hosting service opportunities for students and preserving historical documents for the monastic community.
Through the program’s service-learning component, the Benedictine Scholars will engage in 60 hours of service in the wider community, integrate the service experience into academic exploration in special courses and reflect on the experience with their scholar community. Scholars also volunteer for Saint Martin’s events such as open houses, the gala and commencement.
Saint Martin’s University is an independent, four-year, coeducational university located in Lacey. Established in 1895 by the Catholic Order of Saint Benedict, the university is one of 13 Benedictine colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.
