Sitting in the back room of Loyola’s library, Patrick Tata leaned in and put his elbows on the table and then lifted up his arms and ran his hands through his medium-length brown hair, which still was wet from his shower following football practice.
He wasn’t uncomfortable with the question, but his body language suggested he struggled with the best way to answer it.
Adults who know Tata refer to him as an exceptional student-athlete. John Holecek, his football coach, called his kicker, punter and linebacker “very mature” and an “old soul.” Erin Shea Hauri, a Spanish teacher at the school, said he’s a “model student.”
Tata receives such high praise in large part because of what he does off the football field and outside of the classroom. When time allows, which isn’t often with football practice, Tata drives to Waukegan and volunteers his time at Most Blessed Trinity Parish.
Tata was introduced to the Catholic church last year while taking Shea Hauri’s advanced Spanish class, which was designed to strengthen a student’s communication skills and required students to use Spanish to help people in the Chicago area.
All students had to spend eight days per semester volunteering their time outside of school hours. Tata picked the Father Gary Graf Center, which is home to Most Blessed Trinity Parish’s community outreach arm. There, he taught English as a second language to Waukegan’s Spanish-speaking immigrant population.
Even though Tata’s not taking a Spanish class his senior year, he decided to continue volunteering his time at the community center.
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“I had no idea about that,” Holecek said. “I knew he did it last year. But that’s the type of kid he is. He’s the type of kid you want to have at your school.”
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Most Blessed Trinity Parish is situated in downtown Waukegan. According to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau, 53.4 percent of the city’s residents are Hispanic or Latino. Also, 14 percent of Waukegan’s population lives below the poverty line.
In Deerfield, where Tata grew up in a family of four, 2.8 percent of the population is Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2010 Census.
Tata believed Waukegan was where he could best serve.
“I was told it would be awkward,” he said of his initial encounter with the class. “I tried to communicate with them in Spanish right away, and I botched some of my Spanish. But that was good. It made them laugh, and I think that’s why they accepted me.”
Sister Kathleen Long, who works at the church, said Tata was a natural. She said he made the adult students comfortable being taught by a teenager. She also said he came up with clever ways to get his point across.
“It’s sometimes hard for people of a certain age to learn something new, especially another language,” Long said. “He would do things that first would put a smile on their faces to put them at ease. He loves helping people in need. The gospel teaches serving one another, and he’s living that.”
Tata has been to Waukegan twice this football season, both times on Mondays after football practice ends. He’s teaches for about two hours, but he said he usually stays late to assist with locking up the building. He’s home before 10 p.m., and that’s when he starts on his homework. Once the season is over, he said he hopes to make it to the church more frequently.
“Every time I go is a good experience,” he said. “I think the best moment was the first time I went this school year and saw that the class size had doubled.”
Tata also has taught Spanish literacy to the class. Long said some of the immigrants come to this country without being able to read or write in their native language. Tata modestly admitted his Spanish is good enough to teach the class the basics, such as reading and writing at a basic level to get them through the day.
“He’s so patient with them,” Long said. “He’s giving them the skills to maybe read at a first-grade level and maybe write letters home. Everybody is so impressed with his dedication and sincerity.”
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This season, Tata’s gone 39-for-41 on extra points and has one field goal of 25 yards. As a punter, Tata is averaging nearly 40 yards per attempt.
But Tata plays linebacker, too. He made four varsity starts last season and received first-team reps this summer at inside linebacker when starters weren’t at practice.
“He’s explosive, strong, compact and efficient with his feet,” Holecek said. “He doesn’t make many mistakes, and he knows why he’s doing what he’s doing. That allows him to teach other players. When players have questions, he has answers.”
Tata recognizes the value of his role. It’s not only helpful to the Loyola coaches, but he sometimes can save a teammate from angry coaches.
“If someone can avoid Holecek yelling at them, I did my job,” Tata said with a laugh.
With junior Graham Repp out sick, Tata earned his first start at linebacker on Friday, Oct. 16, in the team’s 56-14 win over St. Rita in Chicago. Tata recorded four solo tackles and four assists.
“He’s exactly the kind of player I want,” Holecek said. “You give him something to learn, and he’s interested in it completely and he retains it.”
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There was a night last winter that put Tat’s considerable communication skills to the test.
Driving home from Waukegan on Lake Cook Road near his home in Deerfield, Tata saw a car hit a snowbank. He stopped and got out. He said the woman driving wasn’t hurt, but she was hysterical and speaking Spanish.
“She was shocked when I spoke Spanish to her,” said Tata, who was with Loyola classmate Gerard Rux, another volunteer at the Father Gary Graf Center. “She ended up being able to speak English, but I think it calmed her down that I could talk to her in Spanish.”
A tow truck was called and another driver stopped to assist, at which point Tata continued his drive home.
Shea Hauri was the first one who shared that story about Tata. She’s known him since his freshman year and said “he’s exploded as a person” during his four years at Loyola.
Earlier this year, Shea Hauri ran into Tata in the hallway and asked him if he would speak to her Spanish service class, the one he took last year. He did — completely in Spanish — and she said the students are better for having listened to him.
“He gave a presentation about the class and what the students can expect,” Shea Hauri said. “He talked about being open-minded in your high school experience. He told them you will get out what you put in.”
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Back in the Loyola library, Tata sat silent for several seconds and thought about the question he was asked.
He was contemplating a way to answer how he felt about coaches, teachers, administrators and parents in the Loyola community labeling him an impressive young man for all he’s done during high school.
He’s considered an example of what it means to be a student at Loyola, a Jesuit school that places an emphasis on service to others, and is the subject of a promotional video on the school’s YouTube channel.
“It’s the way I was brought up by my parents,” he said. “What I do is expected. It’s nice to hear those things, but it’s not why I do them. My dad always reminds me not to let anything people say go to my head. The mission of the school is men and women for others, and that is what I try to do.”
Twitter: @harnesspreps