Advocate

Defense of Migrants' Mental Health

In this episode of Advocate, Charles Alvidres joins host José García Moreno for a powerful conversation on immigration, resilience, and community healing. Drawing from his work as an LMU counseling graduate student and organizer, Charles reflects on supporting migrant communities facing fear, displacement, and trauma while emphasizing hope, storytelling, and collective care as pathways toward mental health and dignity.

Music and Spirituality

In this episode of Advocate, host José García Moreno speaks with Dr. Kim Harris, SVP Dr. John Sebastian, and John Flaherty about how spirituality and music define their past and identity. They reflect on how sacred music shapes community, cultivates belonging, and gives voice to shared experience. Together, they explore how music resonates with messages that promote justice in the service of faith.

Busy with Life and Grad School

In this episode of Advocate, we welcome Séamus O’Ryan and Edgar Vega, two film graduate students and campus leaders at LMU. They navigate the demanding balance between their creative ambitions and full-time commitments beyond the classroom, which is worth celebrating. As they share how life shapes their storytelling and the challenges along the way, it is evident that their journeys are far from simple.

Family Preparedness & Know Your Rights Presentation

This unabridged presentation in Spanish is a companion to our recently published episode titled "Know Your Rights" and serves as an archive. This timely resource is valuable to Californians, residents of the United States, or anyone who fears separation from their families. The Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic and Bet Tzedek conducted this Zoom presentation.

Know Your Rights

In this episode, we focus on the urgent reality of immigrant rights in an increasingly hostile social and political climate. We welcome legal expert Sandra Hernadez of the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic (LIJC) and two representatives from Loyola Marymount University's Center for Religion and Spirituality—Bob Hurteau and Elsy Arevalo—who share wisdom and experience that will give listeners hope. We also feature a reading from LMU Graduate Theology student Mayra Torres.