The Family That Found Him

Jason Virts’ father didn't believe in higher education.

The better path for his son, he insisted, was to keep working at a Baltimore grocery store, climb the ranks, and eventually become a manager.

So, when Virts told his father he was enrolling at Loyola University Maryland as a student in the Ignatius Scholars Program—a transition and leadership program that helps first-generation students succeed in college—his father gave him an ultimatum: “If you do, don’t come home.”

Virts chose Loyola anyway.

The transition wasn’t easy.

“There was a big socioeconomic divide between a lot of the other students and me,” said Virts, whose mother died of cancer while he was a student at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Baltimore.

It was while working in Loyola’s Event Services department throughout his college years that Virts found the sense of community he had been seeking.

As he set up chairs, operated audiovisual equipment, and eventually supervised other students, the data science major came to see his mentors and colleagues as family.

Aaron Lassiter and David Howard, Event Services assistant managers, were especially important in Virts’ growth. Both men grew up in East Baltimore, just as Virts did. They said they felt a responsibility to support and encourage him.

“None of us grew up pretty,” Howard said. “He knew he could talk to us.”

That trust translated into responsibility. By senior year, Virts was directing his own crew, capable of clearing a room of 700 chairs in 45 minutes.

Howard encouraged Virts never to forget where he came from and to take advantage of every opportunity.

“Don’t change,” Howard said. “Just be who you are, and everybody around you will get better.”

Lassiter, who affectionately calls Virts his “nephew,” noted that Virts had support not only from Event Services, but also from deans and faculty members who all wanted to “see him win.”

With the encouragement of the Rev. Timothy Brown, S.J., associate professor of law and social responsibility and assistant to the president for mission integration, and Mary Beth Mudric, Ph.D., assistant dean of undergraduate studies, Virts led the first-generation retreat his sophomore year and built relationships that helped him feel more connected.

When other students went home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or summer break, Virts stayed on campus and continued working for Event Services because he had nowhere else to go. Even after he earned his degree, Loyola allowed him to continue living on campus while he worked for Events Services and searched for career opportunities in his field.

At Loyola’s Commencement this past spring, Virts—valedictorian at his high school graduation—was the featured student speaker, addressing his fellow graduates from the stage. His twin brother flew in from Las Vegas to surprise him, and his sister came, too.

His father was not there. He died in 2025 during his son’s junior year.

“I don't know if he would have even come to the graduation,” Virts said, “but I think deep down, maybe he would have a little bit of pride for me graduating if he was able to see all the support I had.”

The mentors, colleagues, and friends who had become his family—the family he’d built—were in the crowd instead.

In his address, the 22-year-old—who had completed an internship with the Space Telescope Science Institute analyzing large astronomical datasets and wants to pursue a career in data analytics and software development—thanked Event Services for giving him far more than a campus job.

“It became a place where I felt seen, where I felt valued, where I felt like I was part of something,” Virts said.

Watch Virts’ Commencement speech.