Margaret Hernandez, a St. Joseph High School graduate in her 21st year of teaching at the Catholic all-girls school in Lakewood, remembers first seeing Father Greg Boyle speak in 2005 at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress.
She was spellbound.
By then, Boyle’s Homeboy Industries — the innovative Boyle Heights program that offers high-risk youth, former gang members, and the recently incarcerated a chance at a new life — was well known and the Catholic priest’s book, “Tattoos on the Heart,” would soon become a New York Times bestseller.
Inspired by Boyle, Hernandez started volunteering in the Educational Services department of Homeboy Industries in 2013.
“After two years I thought, ‘How can I bring this magic to St. Joseph High?’ ” said Hernandez, who teaches English, digital photography, and film studies at St. Joseph.
In 2015, Hernandez had her answer: the Jester Homegirls.
Named after the school’s mascot, the Jesters, the service club launched with a whopping 186 girls in its first year and remains, by far, St. Joseph High’s largest service club. Membership today hovers around 200 — a third of the school’s 600 students.
Hernandez is the monitor of the club, which is so large members need to meet in the school gym. The club’s mission is to serve those in need, whether it be fellow students, those in the community, or Homeboy Industries itself.
With the aim of redirecting the lives of formerly troubled youth and developing them into contributing members of the community, Homeboy Industries provides mental health counseling, legal services, tattoo removal, curriculum and education classes, work-readiness training, and employment services — all for free.
Members of the Jester Homegirls support Homeboy Industries in a variety of ways, including sending a team to its annual 5K Run/Walk in September (their team often is the largest one there) and donating hundreds of gifts at Christmas and thousands of dollars in gift cards, plus diapers, clothes, and a few laptops.
One of Hernandez’s favorite moments was taking members on a tour of Homeboy Industries and eating at its Homegirl Cafe a few years ago.
“It was raining that day, and we were a little late,” Hernandez said. “They were in the middle of morning announcements. Father Greg saw us, stopped in his tracks, and said, ‘Is this St. Joseph High School?’ He gave us a big shout-out. We felt so welcomed and he gave the students a warm fuzzy feeling.”
The Jester Homegirls also support their fellow students, some of whose families struggle to pay for textbooks, class rings, prom tickets, yearbooks, AP fees, athletic fees, senior fees, and other school items and services.
So far this year, the Jester Homegirls already have donated $7,000 to cover expenses for 100-150 St. Joseph High families, Hernandez said.
“I never got my senior portrait because my parents didn’t have the money,” said Hernandez, who along with her five siblings went to 12 years of Catholic school.
Some Jester Homegirls student leaders can relate.
“Coming from a family that needs some things and believes in giving back to people, I was automatically inclined to join the club,” said Sofia Rivera, vice president of Jester Homegirls.
Sofia, a senior, joined the club in her first year of high school.
“It makes you feel good at the end of the day knowing you can help people around you,” she said.
Marbella Marino, secretary of Jester Homegirls and a senior, said the club was hard to miss when she arrived at St. Joseph High, so she immediately signed up.
“Coming from a family that struggled with life situations, I understand the struggles of trying to afford things,” Marbella said. “Their mission just caught my eye. I’ve been so in love with this club since my freshman year.”
Sofia, Marbella, and two other club leaders, seniors Yazmin Barreto, president of Jester Homegirls, and club treasurer Mikayla Gaspar, have read all of Boyle’s books (his latest one was recently released).
Marbella said a quote in one of Boyle’s books stands out for her: “The work one does seeks to align our lives with God’s longing for us — that we be happy, joyful, and liberated from all that prevents us from seeing ourselves as God does.”
“This quote reminds me of all the homies working hard to improve themselves to be a better version of themselves,” Marbella said. “This gives me hope to know even though there will be many lows in life, I can get back up and keep on going on the right path to success. Anything is possible with hard work and God.”
Yazmin said the work of Homeboy Industries reminds her “that God will always forgive us, no matter what we have done. It reminds us to always be willing to help others and to serve our dear neighbor without distinction.”
All four members agree the club has brought them together and made them much closer.
Hernandez said another favorite memory of the Jester Homegirls came from last year’s Christmas party at Homeboy Industries headquarters.
Two of her club members posed for a photo with a young couple who, with their tattoos, looked like classic gang members.
She recalled one of Boyle’s sentiments: Nobody is “less than” anyone else.
“Wow,” Hernandez said. “Seeing these two worlds come together was just very special to me.”
