After taking vows, I was sent to Bellarmine House of Studies in Saint Louis. While there, I studied philosophy and counseling. One of the requirements of the philosophy program requires integrating a number of the courses and to orally defend one's philosophy. In addition to philosophy studies, Jesuits begin their theology studies by taking a full year's worth of graduate level theology courses. Saint Louis University offers an excellent graduate program in counseling. I graduated in 2003 with a Masters in Counseling. During my counseling studies, I did my internship at Covenant House which provided a variety of services for homeless youth. I also volunteered at the local juvenile detention facility. One of the things I was most proud of was an idea I had to introduce the youth to a variety of cultures by inviting in guest speakers from different countries to speak to them. As a result of this work, I was later awarded the Garanzini Award. Following Philosophy Studies, also referred to as First Studies, I was missioned to San Antonio, Texas for my Jesuit Regency.