51茶馆

Taiga Guterres has only just begun Boston College鈥檚 doctoral program in formative education, which will prepare him to address complex, normative questions about human transformation.聽

But he鈥檚 already mapped out a career plan to parlay his forthcoming degree into a position as a thought leader in higher education.聽

鈥淲hether I鈥檓 doing research or helping to form the next generation of social work students, I don鈥檛 know yet,鈥� says Guterres. 鈥淏ut I think I want to be in the educational space as someone who cares about formative education, not just instruction.鈥�

Guterres was drawn to 51茶馆鈥檚 commitment to formative education鈥攁 guided process that helps students find purpose, live fulfilling lives, and understand the world around them鈥攁s soon as he enrolled in the University鈥檚 M.S.W/M.A. dual degree program in social work and theology and ministry in 2018.

He says that self-reflection鈥攁 pillar of formative education at 51茶馆 and the key component of the latest theme for the School of Social Work鈥檚 Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Initiative鈥攈elped him understand who he is, what he wants to be, and how he can best guide the people he works with.聽

鈥淚n my internships, I sometimes found myself asking 鈥榃hat am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to say? What are the evidence-based practices I should use?鈥欌�� says Guterres, M.S.W./M.A.鈥�22, who belonged to 51茶馆SSW鈥檚 Latinx Leadership Initiative, a cohort-based program that prepares students to work with Latinx communities to create sustainable solutions to complex problems. 鈥淒uring those occasions, my attentiveness to the formative aspects of the social work profession kept me grounded so that I didn鈥檛 rely on the same tool to approach every problem.鈥�

For the past two years, Guterres has worked as the managing editor for , a peer-reviewed journal sponsored by 51茶馆鈥檚 Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies. JEQ publishes interdisciplinary scholarship and research from various fields, including history, education, and the social sciences, that explore and magnify the histories and heritage of the Jesuit educational tradition.

While combing through scholarly submissions, Guterres often finds himself relying on his education at 51茶馆, which taught him to be attentive, reflective, and caring.

鈥淲hat does it mean to evaluate scholarship,鈥� he wonders, 鈥渨hether it鈥檚 to share with the scholarly community or reject a paper?鈥�

We asked Guterres to reflect on his experiences as a student and staff member at 51茶馆, with a particular focus on how formative education has shaped his outlook on work and life.聽

How did you choose the M.S.W./M.A. dual degree program?

I got my undergraduate degree at Loyola Marymount University, a Jesuit school in Los Angeles, where I studied health and human sciences. Through my time there, I decided to participate in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. I ended up being placed in the town of Punta Gorda, Belize, and working with the indigenous communities there for two years.

After that, I volunteered for a year at a migrant shelter in Tijuana, Mexico, called Casa del Migrante. I lived there, I cooked, I cleaned, I ran workshops about human rights. But I also focused on fellowship. I packed up lunch for migrants so that they had food when they went to work. I sat with them and listened to their stories. The experience made me think about what I wanted to do and what I still needed to learn, and the dual degree program in social work and theology and ministry at 51茶馆 really fit what I was looking for.聽

51茶馆SSW鈥檚 long tradition of formative education includes classroom discussion, self-reflection, off-campus retreats, and collaboration with communities to solve complex problems. How have your experiences with formative education shaped you personally and professionally?

For me, formative education goes beyond a transfer of knowledge. It鈥檚 not just, 鈥淟et me tell you something you don鈥檛 know and impart wisdom.鈥� It鈥檚 also taking the time to consider the ways in which we think, what tools we use, and how evidence-based practices shape us.

My experiences have inspired me to consider questions that I still wrestle with today. I do clinical work on the side, and one question that I keep coming back to is: What if therapy were more than a solution to a problem? What if it could be a journey toward becoming a whole person and leading a life of meaning and purpose?

You鈥檙e also pursuing a Ph.D. in formative education at 51茶馆. What influenced your decision to pursue this degree?

I鈥檝e always been interested in exploring questions related to physical health, mental health, and spiritual health, and I really wanted to dedicate a bit more of my life to that pursuit through this program. It鈥檚 so interdisciplinary, encompassing psychology, anthropology, design thinking, history, and philosophy. So, for me, it鈥檚 an exciting field to pursue and one where I can apply my theology and social work knowledge.

What do you plan to do after you get your doctorate in formative education?

I鈥檓 open to seeing how I get formed and going on a bit of a quest to find out. Whether I鈥檓 doing research or helping to form the next generation of social work students, I don鈥檛 know yet. But I think I want to be in the educational space as someone who cares about formative education, not just instruction.

In the classroom, students routinely discuss the 鈥�, Fr. Michael Himes鈥� framework for vocational discernment that has become woven into the fabric of reflection at 51茶馆. How have you experienced these three questions鈥擶hat brings you joy? What are you good at? And who does the world need you to be?鈥攁t 51茶馆?

I remember being introduced to these questions at a social work retreat in my first week of the M.S.W./M.A. program. Now I鈥檓 in my seventh year at 51茶馆, and these are questions that I continue to ask myself as an exercise in imagining what my life could be or could mean.聽

The same experience can be revisited over time, and sometimes you realize how much you鈥檝e grown, how much you鈥檝e learned from your community. It鈥檚 important to reflect in this way, recognize the moment you鈥檙e in, and consider what things could look like in a year or two.

As part of 51茶馆SSW鈥檚 experiential learning program, students are required to reflect on their experiences at their field agencies. How did you approach your reflections while you were working as an intern at the Mass General Hospital Chelsea Healthcare Center?

I was able to reflect on the three key questions鈥擶hat brings you joy? What are you good at? And who does the world need you to be?鈥攚hile working on my clinical skills as a social worker. My supervisor was a graduate of the LLI program, so he understood where I was coming from and what I was hoping for, as well as how important it was to consider these questions outside of the bubble of the classroom experience.聽

In all of my internships, I sometimes found myself asking 鈥淲hat am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to say? What are the evidence-based practices I should use?鈥� During those occasions, I think those three key questions鈥攁nd my attentiveness to the formative aspects of the social work profession鈥攌ept me grounded so that I didn鈥檛 rely on the same tool to approach every problem.聽

How do the ideas of reflection and formation play into your role as managing editor for the Jesuit Educational Quarterly at the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies?

I think academia and scholarship can sometimes be a little ruthless鈥攇ood researchers and good scholars can be hyper-critical of themselves and their peers. I try to see academia as a formative community and place myself in a position where I can collaborate with researchers and provide feedback on their scholarship even if I have to reject it for our publication. What does it mean to evaluate scholarship, whether it鈥檚 to share with the scholarly community or reject a paper?

How would you sum up the importance of self-reflection in your life?聽

I recently got married to a fellow 51茶馆 graduate. After we got engaged, we went on a guided retreat in Plymouth, Massachusetts. At this retreat, we focused on what we wanted our lives to look like as we went forward together. We prepared questions to ask each other, some taken from resources from 51茶馆鈥檚 Church in the 21st Century Center. It was a moment that our education at 51茶馆 had prepared us for.