Meet the Workers
Victoria Berges
I am born and raised in Queens, NYC. I attended college at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. I double majored in Molecular/ Cellular Biology and Spanish. After college, I continued to work in the field of public health. My passion is working with vulnerable populations in the field of mental health and I aspire to be a spiritual mental health counselor, utilizing the intersection between science/ psychology, faith and the arts. I am also very passionate about singing (I sing in church choir) and martial arts (I've done mostly Tae Kwon Do).
I am serving in Fullerton at St. Jude Medical Center during my service year. My hope for the year is to expand my experience and knowledge in mental health,
practice my Spanish speaking skills, work with a new population (seniors) and have an impact in the community I'm serving. I would also like to grow in my faith and form a community, especially with the other women in the program.
Lucia Chang
I was born in Taiwan but moved to Orange County, CA with my family when I was 12. I graduated from University of Notre Dame and majored in Biochemistry and Theology. I’m passionate about health equity. I enjoy arts and crafts and taking a walk or hike outdoors. And most importantly, I love hearing about the ways in which God’s grace unfolds in people’s lives.
This year I am serving Mission Hospital's Family Resource Center. My hope for the year is to grow in faith and develop more skills to be a leader in promoting justice in the world in our own area of interest together as a community. I hope that as I engage in a year of service, I’ll be a part of a community that supports one another emotionally, spiritually and physically.
Sarah White
I am originally from Brooklyn, New York, but I attended the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. My passion is nature: I believe deeply in protecting our common home, sharing in its beauty, and promoting environmental advocacy. After a year of service, I hope to pursue a career in ecology.
In Orange, I am serving as an advocacy assistant for the St. Joseph Justice Center, where I can share my passion for ecological justice. I am hopeful that the St. Joseph Worker Program will be an opportunity to live and learn in community. I am excited to develop meaningful relationships, grow in my own spirituality, and engage in justice efforts in Orange County.
Lena Rodriguez
I am Lena from Orange County, California.
I am a parishioner at St. Joseph Church in Placentia. I graduated from California State University Fullerton with a B.A. in Ethnic Studies and a B.S. in Human Services. I am looking forward to the spiritual guidance and personal growth my journey has ahead this year with everyone involved in the St. Joseph Worker Program.
My hope for the year is that I can be of service to others by doing the Lord’s work here on earth!
Margaret Cicchiello
I was born in South Bend, IN, but grew up in Fort Wayne, IN. In May, I graduated from Saint Mary's College in South Bend. I majored in biology (Cellular/ Molecular) and minored in Spanish. After this year, which I'm really excited about, I will attend Marian University's osteopathic medical school. In my free time, I like to read and write, watch TV and movies, run, take walks, and spend time with my pets and friends and family.
During the year, I'm serving at La Amistad Health Center - St. Joseph Hospital's first community clinic. My hope for the year is to give myself permission to focus on relationships and connecting with the people around me, through activities with my fellow SJWs, and more. It was also really important to me that I had a healthcare placement where I would use Spanish.