Photo provided by Mr. Jake Kelly | Osman Servin‘20 poses for a picture with the family he stayed with during his trip to El Salvador
By Francisco Pastor Rivera ’20
At any Jesuit school, the concepts of being committed to doing justice, loving, religious, open to growth and intellectually competent are taught to the students. However, it can be inferred that only a handful actually embody those concepts, and Osman Servin ’20 is among those few.
Not only do his friends consider him to embody these Jesuit concepts, but they each consider Osman to be the true definition of what it means to be kind, hard working and loyal. Moreover, many consider the most unique thing about Osman is his authentic, “behind the scenes” leadership.
“I have known Osman since freshman year however, it wasn’t until sophomore year when we started talking on a regular basis and became good friends. Osman is just a genuine dude, he checks up on you,cracks a joke, or simply says hi when he sees you,” said Albert Ledezma ’20.
Servin has been part of the Brophy community for nearly seven years, having attended Loyola Academy in sixth grade.
“It’s been a long seven years, but I am happy I’ve been at Brophy,” Servin said.
Servin is particularly proud of his Mexican heritage, being first generation Mexican-American. “I was born in Phoenix, and I lived here for a few years, then we moved to New Mexico and Louisiana, because of my dad’s work,” Servin said.
After living in various states, Servin and his family then moved to Mexico. “We then moved to Mexico and lived there for a few years. Then we moved back when I was in third or fourth grade, but I completely lost my English,” said Servin.
He said it was difficult at first for him to learn in school after moving back to the United States, but became easier after his teacher worked with him to learn English once again.
“School became easier after relearning English,” said Servin. He learned about Loyola Academy from his elementary school teacher, Ms. Grumman, who happened to be friends with Brophy teacher Mr. Ian Aston.
He then transferred to Loyola Academy and attended from sixth to eighth grade.
“I did want to attend Brophy and I did expect to make the transition to Brophy,” said Servin. Since his freshman year, Servin has been noticed for his work ethnic and appreciation for his teachers. “I’ve known him for roughly two years and have taught him twice now, both in economics his junior year and now in Conflict in the Modern World as a senior. Osman is a joy to have in the classroom: he is friendly, curious, and hard working. He’s the type of guy who will stay after class to ask questions,” said Mr. Simon Zachary ’02.
In addition to being noted as a hard working student, Servin has been a “behind the scenes” member of several clubs on campus such as the Brophy Culture Project, Student Council, Advocacy Club and Hermanos Unidos.
“The thing I like most about Osman is the hard work he puts in quietly. He is such a hard working guy at everything he does and he never asks for the recognition he deserves. He is involved in a plentitude of behind the scenes work but you would never know because of his humility,” Ledezma said.
Furthermore, Servin was also selected to participate in the 2019 El Salvador Immersion trip.
His immersion trip companions Jack Taylor ’20 and Aidan McGuire ’20 quickly noticed how loyal, thoughtful and compassionate he is.
“I wish I got to know Osman sooner. He is one of the most genuine kids on campus. He brightens the day of anyone he interacts with,” Taylor said.
Moreover, McGuire noticed Servin’s willingness to connect with others. “Throughout that trip, he really went out of his way to make connections with all of the people we met, he makes people know that he truly cares about them,” McGuire said.
Among being a member of the El Salvador trip and different clubs, Servin noted he is most happy to spend time with his younger brother.
“I haven’t been able to go to my clubs and participate on a regular basis because I am usually picking up my 6 year old brother and spending time with him which doesn’t bother me because I am happy to do it,” Servin said.
As the coronavirus pandemic has caused the world economy to fall into a recession and forced governments into lockdown, Servin was recently laid off from his job as sales associate at Shoe Palace.