Class of 2010 valedictorian Sean Grant says his involvement in diverse academic programs and extracurricular activities over the last four years have helped him to discover his passions and talents and how best to use them. Now, his life mission is clear: to leave the world in a better state than which he found it.

“I believe that LMU has prepared me to achieve that goal by emphasizing that my life's calling should always incorporate fusing my passions and skills with the world's greatest needs,” he says.

Currently, Grant’s interest is in mental health and substance use, which might lead to a career as a university psychology professor or working for a non-profit organization that assists the mentally ill.  As an LMU Albertson Honors Fellow in 2009, Grant spent time in Cordoba, Argentina, as a volunteer at a mental health agency for adolescents. A year prior, as a William Fitzgerald Summer Grant recipient, he spent the summer working with the mentally ill among the homeless.

The list of Grant’s honors and achievements is long and his commitment to social justice has not gone unrecognized: Last year, he earned an Alfred J. Kilp Service and Leadership Award, as well as the Heart of the Lion Award for being one of the top five university students best living the university’s mission statement. Not surprisingly, Grant was selected to speak at LMU Mission Day this year.

“To carry out the mission, faculty, administration and staff must reach out to the students, and I spoke of various experiences in which mentors had sacrificed their time to foster my growth and help me discover my vocation,” he explains.

After graduation, Grant, a member of the University Honors Program and a double major in psychology and philosophy with a minor in economics, will head to the University of Oxford to pursue a master’s of philosophy in evidenced-based social intervention.

Of all his accomplishments, Grant says serving as president of the Rugby Club and of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity have been the most meaningful. “My closest friends were made here by giving my all on the field and sharing of my true self in fraternal brotherhood,” he says. “Moreover, the mentors that I have had -- rugby coaches and Sig Ep advisors -- have challenged me to be the best version of myself and to embrace self-honesty.