Ahoy Julianne Aguda!
When were you a part of L’Arche Chicago?
I lived in Angel House at L’Arche Chicago from 2018-2019. I shared life with core members Christianne, Anders, Dana, and Davey. For live in assistants, I was from Virginia and I also shared life with Molly (Tarantino) from South Dakota, Nate (Sullivan) from Pennsylvania, and Elina K. from Germany. I also shared life with live out assistant Kelly (Weathers) from Alabama. I loved sharing life with everyone from all across the country and all over the world. It was a very special and unique experience for me.
What was a favorite memory you have from your time in L’Arche?
I have so many memories from my time with L’Arche Chicago as well as just living in the city of Chicago general. Some of my favorite Angel House memories included dinner and evening prayer time with my housemates, visiting “the chicken restaurant” (Chick Fil A) with Christianne, grocery shopping for a house of 8 people, and having dance parties.
Other funny memories that came to mind include me throwing boiling water into the air during the Polar Vortex and watching the water turn instantly to ice and getting a flat tire on the side of the road during our house vacation to Minnesota. We all stayed in the (old pre-historic) Angel House van while a tow truck pulled the van on top of the bed of the truck to get to the nearest mechanic. And finally, I loved driving around downtown Chicago with my live in/out assistants in a stick shift car while jamming out to a Black Eyed Peas CD 🙂
What are you up to now?
Right now, I currently live in the Phoenix, Arizona area and work full-time as a pediatric speech-language pathologist at an elementary school. I see a variety of kids between the grade levels of kindergarten-6th grade who have different communication needs. I love my job and transitioned out of the L’Arche community to move to Arizona and pursue my master’s degree in speech-language pathology. I don’t have any kids or pets (yet) but I continue to have a big support system from my parents, family, and friends. I also started dating my boyfriend, Tony, after moving to Arizona 🙂
What’s something that you learned from L’Arche and have carried with you?
One of the most important values I learned from my time with L’Arche was embracing the value of strong community. We live in a crazy world nowadays and because of that it can be very challenging to find authentic and real friendships. Through the connections I’ve made with L’Arche, I’m so grateful for the gift of belonging and community. Taking a quote that stuck with me from a priest’s homily: “A family that eats together and prays together…stays together”.
