Trahan Architects and Son of a Saint have announced that Javier Castellon will join the firm as an intern and mentee of the firm’s founder and CEO Trey Trahan, and its entire staff in New Orleans and New York.
Javier Castellon is a 17-year-old senior at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. There, Javier studies media arts and maintains a 4.0 GPA. In addition to his strong academic performance and creative expression, Javier demonstrates responsibility with his part-time employment at Pinkberry. In fact, Javier’s commitment to his job earned him the first ever college scholarship of up to $40,000, made possible by Felipe’s Taqueria and Pinkberry New Orleans in partnership with Son of a Saint. The $10k yearly college scholarship is a recurring award that’s given to a chosen Son of a Saint mentee who’s been employed at Felipe’s or Pinkberry, then goes on to study at a four-year university. The mentee must also maintain at least a 3.0 GPA during his academic years to continue receiving the yearly scholarship amount.
Javier and his older brother, Alejandro, have been with Son of a Saint since its earliest inception in 2011. Since that time, Javier has participated in numerous community service events with the organization, toured Mardi Gras World, visited successful local businesses, and participated in the Crescent City Classic 10k Race. He has traveled with Son of a Saint to southern California, Dallas, and Denver. Following high school graduation, Javier will study architecture at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, as a Posse Foundation Scholar. In his free time, Javier enjoys running and fishing.
Son of a Saint is a nonprofit organization which exists to transform the lives of fatherless boys through mentorship, emotional support, development of life skills, exposure to constructive experiences and formation of positive, lasting peer-to-peer relationships. Castellon is a Son of a Saint program participant and has been active in the organization since its inception in 2011. The nonprofit organization is now celebrating its 10th anniversary of service and success.
“We at Trahan Architects are thrilled to be partnering with the Son of a Saint for the first time,” said Trahan. “The tremendous and admirable work of Sonny Lee is truly inspirational and an incredible asset for our city and its underserved youth. We could not be more excited to welcome Javier to our team and help him thrive in the architectural field.”
Growing up without a father is a challenge facing thousands of boys in New Orleans. For too many of them, the challenge will prove overwhelming. Son of a Saint exists for these boys, providing mentorship, education, recreation, camaraderie, cultural enrichment, emotional support and helping to fill the void for dozens of fatherless young men in New Orleans.
“Javier represents the best of our organization and the potential for what’s possible through hard work, consistency, and self-determination,” said Son of a Saint founder and CEO Bivian “Sonny” Lee III. “This level of partnership from Trahan Architects is also indicative of the Son of a Saint mission, to treat each young man in our program holistically and long term, setting them up for a bright and promising future in young adulthood. We are proud to see Javier step into this role and put his vision into action.”
To learn more about Son of a Saint, visit their website here.
