Shaping Minds

Raymond Andrade ’04 has had the opportunity to experience LMU from two very distinct perspectives. First as an undergraduate philosophy major and political science minor, and now as a member of the Von der Ahe library team. If not for his experience as a student, perhaps he wouldn’t be aiming to serve the public as a librarian today.

It was at LMU that Andrade was first exposed to the ideas of ancient Greek philosophers. “Plato’s ideas of human virtues and how we should live as a society addressed some of the most important questions about humanity,” said Andrade. “I knew after just one course that philosophy was my passion.”

Matters of the mind have always sparked Andrade’s curiosity. However, he likes to think that his experience at LMU has given him a more holistic approach to the way he lives his life. “Besides my parents, being a student at LMU has had the biggest influence in my life,” Andrade said.

Andrade started working part time at the Los Angeles County Public Library immediately after high school. The idea of serving a wide spectrum of people fascinated him and in 2003 he joined the Von der Ahe library team as a library assistant. Becoming a librarian seems to be the natural professional option for Andrade.

“Libraries to me represent the most effective gateway to the intellectual dimension of the human experience,” Andrade said. He attended the recent groundbreaking of the William H. Hannon Library in October and was excited to hear Father Lawton emphasize that the library is one of the three most important buildings on campus because it nurtures the mind.

“Mind, body and spirit is actually the way I like to approach my life,” explains Andrade, “That is one of the things I value most about LMU’s approach to educate the whole person.” When he is not in the library cataloging volumes or taking online courses to complete his master’s degree in library science, he can be found working out at the Burns Recreation Center or playing his guitar behind Sacred Heart Chapel to keep his life in balance.

The nurturing environment that cares about the whole person that Andrade enjoyed as a student continues to have a strong presence in his role as a staff member. The support of his colleagues has helped him excel with his professional endeavors.

Most recently, encouraged by his supervisors, the first generation graduate applied for and won the prestigious Spectrum Scholarship from the American Library Association to assist with his studies.

“I am grateful to have the support of my colleagues,” said Andrade, “I think the best part of being a staff member here is knowing that LMU is making a genuine effort to shape a positive character in its students.”