(COVINGTON, La.) — New, but not so new, to the St. Paul’s theological community is teacher Jeff Ramon, alumnus of the class of 2008, and the newly named campus minister.

“While I was a student here, I did campus ministry-type things, whether it be Lasallian Leaders or helping out at Masses,” Ramon said. “St. Paul’s was, and still is, a huge part of my life when I was a teenager and remains so today now that I’m part of the faculty.”

Ramon served many roles at St. Paul’s during his time as a student, including taekwondo instructor and basketball team manager. When Ramon graduated from St. Paul’s, he went to Loyola University. After studying at Loyola, Ramon thought he was going to open up his own taekwondo studio, and about a year later, decided that was not his calling.

Ramon changed his major from Business to Religious Studies, because he enjoyed his religious life. Ramon didn’t know what he was going to do with that field, but he knew he enjoyed the study of theology.

“I knew that at some point in my life I wanted to be a teacher. I was satisfied being a taekwondo instructor, but I knew I wanted more than just that. I wanted to build relationships with my students over long periods of time, so teaching in the classroom was a perfect fit,” said Ramon.

After Ramon finished college, he moved up to Chicago and became a science and religion teacher for a middle school for three years. After this journey, he made a re-connection with his old stomping grounds by becoming a part of the St. Paul’s tradition once again, but in a different way.

Ramon says the learning environment, as a whole, is key to having a great high school experience. He plans on making SPS a more religious community by showing the students that both Catholics and non-Catholics can have a relationship with God. He also wants to help the students recognize that at St. Paul’s, students are brothers, not just at school, but in the world.

“Students need to show elements of faith, community, and service while completing all their academics,” Ramon said. “I also want the students to know my door is always open, whether it be hard times, good times, a story you want to tell, or you just want to hang out during lunch.”