2008 Woodie Awards
Lasallian Student Spotlight
Brandon Birr
Alex Branch
Issue date: 11/21/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Chances are anybody who is a member of LASA, works with the Admissions Office, was part of the Bonner Program, or spends a lot of time doing community service has met Brandon Birr '07.
Birr is a 21-year-old history major and Spanish minor from Los Angeles. He is a very active member of the campus community and a man who puts his faith in God.
Birr started "making choices" as soon as he came to Saint Mary's, joining the Bonner Leader Program his freshman year. Being a Bonner Leader was a two-year commitment to tutoring middle school and high school students and it fit perfectly into Birr's plan to become a high school teacher. Birr says he wants to teach high school because it "is a really important time in someone's life," and he wants to teach at a Lasallian high school for many reasons. He said, "My faith dictates where my life is going," and "the Brothers really made a big impact on my life." These factors translate into a Lasallian high school teaching job as being perfect for Birr, where he can share the Lasallian principles with students and help shape their futures.
However, Birr's enthusiasm for his faith and for the Lasallian mission, "Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve," does not just come out in his career goals. "I love working at Admissions," Birr said. He is working to emphasize to new and prospective students that they may be joining Saint Mary's as a student, but the Saint Mary's community is not where their community ends. He said he emphasizes to students the "worldwide Lasallian family," and the brotherhood that comes from being part of the huge Lasallian community.
Not everything Birr does is about becoming a teacher, though. In an attempt to explore his heritage, Birr went on exchange to Costa Rica in the fall of 2005, where he had the opportunity to visit family he had not seen since he was a young boy. He is also active in service and went to Tucson, Arizona with Brother Michael Avila's Christian service class, where he helped to build a student library.
Birr is not only impressive in how he shares faith in God with others, but also in how he puts his own faith fully with the Lord. Birr said he has "matured in a lot of ways," during his time here at Saint Mary's. Like most students about to graduate from this phase of their life, Birr said, "I don't know what next year holds for me," but that is how Birr practices the Lasallian Tradition: faith in the presence of God.
Birr is a 21-year-old history major and Spanish minor from Los Angeles. He is a very active member of the campus community and a man who puts his faith in God.
Birr started "making choices" as soon as he came to Saint Mary's, joining the Bonner Leader Program his freshman year. Being a Bonner Leader was a two-year commitment to tutoring middle school and high school students and it fit perfectly into Birr's plan to become a high school teacher. Birr says he wants to teach high school because it "is a really important time in someone's life," and he wants to teach at a Lasallian high school for many reasons. He said, "My faith dictates where my life is going," and "the Brothers really made a big impact on my life." These factors translate into a Lasallian high school teaching job as being perfect for Birr, where he can share the Lasallian principles with students and help shape their futures.
However, Birr's enthusiasm for his faith and for the Lasallian mission, "Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve," does not just come out in his career goals. "I love working at Admissions," Birr said. He is working to emphasize to new and prospective students that they may be joining Saint Mary's as a student, but the Saint Mary's community is not where their community ends. He said he emphasizes to students the "worldwide Lasallian family," and the brotherhood that comes from being part of the huge Lasallian community.
Not everything Birr does is about becoming a teacher, though. In an attempt to explore his heritage, Birr went on exchange to Costa Rica in the fall of 2005, where he had the opportunity to visit family he had not seen since he was a young boy. He is also active in service and went to Tucson, Arizona with Brother Michael Avila's Christian service class, where he helped to build a student library.
Birr is not only impressive in how he shares faith in God with others, but also in how he puts his own faith fully with the Lord. Birr said he has "matured in a lot of ways," during his time here at Saint Mary's. Like most students about to graduate from this phase of their life, Birr said, "I don't know what next year holds for me," but that is how Birr practices the Lasallian Tradition: faith in the presence of God.