Community Empowerment Activist | Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good

Congratulating our 2024 Award Winners

The Leo T. McCarthy Year-end awards honor students, faculty and community partners that have demonstrated exceptional commitment to community-engaged learning through their individual and collective experiences. Every May, we celebrate meaningful student projects and service experiences that educate students on social justice issues, and facilitate mutually beneficial outcomes for our community. This year, we are…

Rethinking America’s Approach to Crime and Rehabilitation

In his thought-provoking blog post, Community Empowerment Activist Maxwell Drati, Politics, African American Studies ‘25, highlights the systemic failures and social injustices plaguing America, from educational disparities and healthcare accessibility to the shortcomings of the criminal justice system. Drati argues that the U.S. has prioritized punitive measures, such as prisons, over genuine rehabilitation and communal…

The McCarthy Center as a Beacon of Hope

In the complex landscape of today’s world, maintaining hope can be a profound challenge. David M. Holler, the Director of the Martín–Baró Scholars Program, a McCarthy Faculty Scholar for the 2021-2025 school year, and a devoted member of the University of San Francisco (USF) community, recently reflected on what gives hope. For David, the answer…

Community Building Through Art

This week’s blog is contributed by Community Empowerment Activist (CEA) and Critical Diversity Studies major, Alaia Zaki ’23. The year long CEA course analyzes systems of oppression and movements of resistance while working with grassroots organizations in San Francisco. Learn about the recent mid-year retreat and mural walk and from Alaia, and how it connects…

Community Engagement through Activism

The Community Empowerment Activists (CEA) program develops critically engaged students through internships with grassroots, advocacy, and base-building organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Students learn leadership skills for social justice through hands-on practice at their host organizations, ongoing class meetings, building with community leaders, and professional development workshops. Social justice starts at the local…

Internship Insights

The McCarthy Center’s annual “Power Breakfast“ is almost here! This is a celebration of the achievements of USF students who have interned in the world of public service. Our McCarthy Fellows serve in all levels of government and advocacy from Washington, D.C. to Sacramento to San Francisco! On November 8, a few of these McCarthy…

Fighting for the Homeless

Community Empowerment Activist Emily Garcia reflects in this week’s blog on her internship experience with the Coalition on Homelessness. I was interning with the Coalition on Homelessness (CoH), a grassroots community organization that works to fight in solidarity, and work with, the homeless community in San Francisco. This organization operates on many levels to engage…

Yacub Elmi - Community Engagement Advocate

Community: Engaged Advocacy

Yacub Elmi, Sociology; Public Service and Community Engagement ’20 To be in the inaugural cohort of the Leo T. McCarthy Center’s Community Engagement Advocate (CEA) program has been an honor and quite honestly exciting. As a CEA, the focus on community advocacy and community-engaged learning has been heavily emphasized in our curriculum. The CEA program…