Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good

Summer 2015 Immersion in Nicaragua

For two weeks immediately following the Spring 2015 semester, I led an immersion course to Nicaragua with 7 University of San Francisco students. We stayed with homestay families in the city of León, near the Pacific coast, and traveled daily to the village community of Goyena. The course, ARCD 348: Nicaragua Outreach Summer Immersion, was interdisciplinary, consisting of students from Architecture & Community Design, Environmental Studies, Nursing, Physics and Psychology. – Hana Mori Böttger

Traveling the world with the University of San Francisco

Outside of Cochabamba, Bolivia at the Parque Ecoturistico Pairumani outside of Cochabamba the mountains bore a tremendous resemblance to the Catalinas and reminded me of the landscape of Tucson, Arizona where I was born and raised. It is ironic to travel thousands of miles to find yourself in a place that feels remarkably like home, yet foreign at the same time. – Isabella Gonzalez Potter

Reflection from the Martín-Baró Scholars Program Director

Only now in mid-summer am I able to truly take stock of the impressive collaboration that took place over an entire academic year between the Martín-Baró Scholars and the Faithful Fools. First, let me say that the entire process (described above) could never have worked as well without the compassionate and generous cooperation of the Faithful Fools. – David Holler

A Year’s Work Together with Faithful Fools and Martín-Baró Scholars

For the past year, Faithful Fools Street Ministry and the Martín-Baró Scholars (a year-long live/learn community of Freshmen at USF) have worked, learned, and served together. During the year, the students shared two classes and one large service-learning project with Faithful Fools. At the end of the school year, we talked about what worked and what didn’t. The one thing that the students, faculty, and the Fools all said was “Our best days of learning were the days we worked together on-site at the Fools [headquarters].” – Sam Dennison

Being the “underdog” of the McCarthy Fellows

Jaileez Campos 2015 McCarthy Fellow Department of Housing and Community Development I have recently graduated from the University of San Francisco in May 2015. I received my degree in B.S. Biology with Minors in Chemistry & Neuroscience. With a scientific focus all throughout my undergraduate career, how did I end up becoming one of the McCarthy Fellows in…

San Francisco Pride 2015

Andrea Wise Assistant Director of Community-Engaged Learning Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good Co-chair, USFCA LGBTQ Caucus for Faculty/Staff For the past three years, I have had the pleasure of co-chairing the USF LGBTQ Caucus for Faculty/Staff, which grew USF’s presence in the SF Pride Parade from 75 people in 2013 to…

First Adventures in India

My initial reaction getting off of the plane in India was complete shock. It was very reminiscent of documentaries and Bollywood movies. The cars/bikes beeped their horns every four seconds, eight lanes in the wake of a two lane distinction, and more. I was being stared at constantly, overcharged for most services, and the food was not sitting well in my stomach. Then I transitioned into the village. If I thought I was in shock before, this was my wake-up call. All the facilities were outside, and I took showers with at least four spiders, a plethora of bugs, and mold. The toilets welcomed flies and insects from the sewers, the electricity never worked, and I used the facility with the flashlight from my cellphone. I said many times “I cannot do this.”-Kristian Balgobin

The McCarthy Fellowship from a Dominican University Perspective

The McCarthy Fellowship is clearly a perfect match for someone, like me, who had an interest in public policy and the passion to make the world a better place ––– a notion which former legislator and Center founder, Leo McCarthy shared. – Navi Dhaliwal