Although it’s no surprise that social justice would be an important focus for Seattle Prep students, there was something especially unique about the advocacy on campus this year. Despite the removal of required volunteer hours, students were still eager to use their time and talents to serve the community. They stepped into high-stake positions, organized, and came back together to truly consider their impact. The Seattle Prep campus is privileged to be the meeting place for these leaders, although some also happen to be Panther faculty.

One person at the forefront of the action is William Liu, who became Prep’s Director of the Magis Christian Service Program this year. The name of the position is unique, but it’s been around for a while. Liu’s predecessor did an amazing job of organizing food drives, encouraging students to volunteer for community service and bringing them on immersion trips as far away as the Dominican Republic. With travel restrictions, the service opportunities were limited to Seattle’s borders, however Liu’s presence on campus has transformed the students’ understanding of service.

Originally from Los Angeles, Liu approached Seattle Prep with plenty of previous experience organizing at Jesuit schools. Educated at Loyola-Marymount University, he realized that service and social justice was part of his path. After working various positions at Jesuit high schools (including Dean of Enrollment Management at Verbum Dei High School), he moved to Seattle to teach Spanish at St. Joseph School while coaching basketball at Prep, and jumped on the opportunity to become Director of the Magis Christian Service Program a year later. Principal Erin Luby describes him as a man who wears a lot of hats, “It’s clear to me that he has a heart of gold and plenty of great potential. He holds a true commitment to our mission – passion for service, and passion for justice.”

His first in-person school year began with the annual Urban Plunge. It would usually be an overnight event on campus where the students would cook meals for those in need and then spend some time doing community service with a social service agency, but amidst a masked beginning to the school year, the students were socially distanced from the usual activities. Instead of a full 24 hours on campus, the retreat was divided to two separate days at St. Patrick’s Parish down the street, and rather than cooking food, the students put together supply baskets. What did remain was the community building and insightful discussions that helped the students understand more about marginalized communities in Seattle.

“I understand that homelessness is more prevalent than we originally thought.”

“Housing insecurity can happen to anyone.”

“I pledge to educate myself and look for ways to support those who are struggling.”

Liu was nervous to plan the immersion, especially since it was the students’ first year back from remote learning. He was unsure how willing the students would be to participate. So, when the students returned to campus and entered the Community Ministry lounge to introduce themselves, Liu was pleasantly surprised.

“I didn’t know what to expect because I hadn’t met any of them yet,” Liu credits the senior Faith-in-Action students for Urban Plunge’s success, “but they took off and ran with it. They might not realize this because it was an assignment for them, but to me their attitude of ‘we got you - we’ll take care of it’ made me feel so welcomed.”

Liu’s collaborative work with the students continued throughout the year. As the advisor of the Global Justice Coalition (GJC) as well as Prep’s liaison with Jesuits West Collaborative Organizing for Racial Equity (CORE), it seemed like the theme of restorative justice simply fell into place. Liu established relationships with influential figures such as Gilda Sheppard and brought them on campus to initiate conversations with the students that they’ll always remember.

Sheppard, an award-winning film director, was first introduced to Liu through CORE. The organization planned an online showing of her short film Since I Been Down, which documents the life of inmates who seek liberation through education. Liu and a few Panthers were on Zoom, ready to join in the discussion with Sheppard and her film’s main character Kimonti Carter. Later, when Liu took a leap of faith and emailed Sheppard to invite her to campus, she responded quickly with an enthusiastic “Yes!”

The spring’s Peace and Justice Week concluded with an all-school assembly centered around Sheppard. Interviewed by members of GJC, the outgoing director expressed how impressed she was by Prep – that a private school would sponsor social justice groups and welcome advocacy, and that high school students would so readily get involved. Earlier in the week the students had organized their own discussions, registered around 200 of their peers to vote, and visited multiple locations off-campus to offer their services. They wrote letters for Jesuit Restorative Justice Initiative, attended additional viewings of Since I Been Down, and hosted advocacy workshops with their classmates.

“It’ll be hard not to continue with this momentum. Obviously, you want to give students diverse experiences, but I hope that in some capacity we can continue learning about restorative justice as well,” Liu explained his plans after Peace and Justice Week. He’s excited to reintroduce travel to Prep’s Immersion Program by planning attendance at the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington DC. The weekend of workshops, speakers, and networking opportunities is sure to be a core memory to the students, but Liu is especially excited because it concludes with a day of advocacy on Capitol Hill.

The students are excited about the opportunities, too – the proof is in Magis Christian Service Program’s success after parting ways with the fixed service hour requirement. It’s been in Prep’s Jesuit values from the moment this campus was established. William Liu is simply the one to remind us of what Panthers are capable of, “Now they’re doing service because they understand that it’s part of their identity as a Panther. They don’t just do it for the requirement, but they’re considering the roots and the justices they’re trying to fight behind. They aren’t coming to my office to ask how many hours they have left; Instead, they’re approaching me to ask what they can do next.”

Liu will also be serving as the Interim Assistant Principal for Student Life for the 2022-2023 school year.