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

Meet the 2024 USF In DC Fellows

Congratulations to our newest cohort of USF in DC Fellows. This semester, nine students from various majors will be immersed in the policymaking processes in the U.S. capital. Our fellows will get a front row seat to observe and learn how public policy happens at the national level and build the skill set necessary to…

Beyond the Flames: Mental Health Equity in the SFFD

In this insightful journey, Evan Cajigas ’24, Finance, combines academic ambitions with a passion for joining San Francisco’s Fire Department. Assigned to the Behavioral Health Unit, Evan learns and navigates the challenges to address the department’s mental health needs. Through trials and revelations, his story illuminates the complexities of public service and the pursuit of…

Crafting Success: McCarthy Fellowship experience

Step into Giuseppe Cannavó’s 25′, Civil Engineering transformative journey as he unveils the life-altering experience of his McCarthy Fellowship program in the heart of San Francisco. From navigating the intricate corridors of public policy to crafting influential strategies with the Strategic Planning and Performance Team at the San Francisco Department of Public Works, Giuseppe’s story resonates with…

Farewell USF

In this week’s blog, we share a warm farewell to our Communications Assistant, Aisha Williamson-Raun ’23, as she ventures onto her next journey post-grad. After being with the McCarthy Center for 2 years, find out where she will go next and where her passions lie for the future. I spent the last 4 years with…

5 Things You’ll Learn as a CELT Fellow

In this week’s blog, Star Plaxton-Moore, Director of Community-Engaged Learning, shares her wisdom with five main takeaways that a Community-Engaged Learning and Teaching (CELT) Fellow will learn during their program. Find out what key aspects of teaching are necessary in fostering a meaningful, community-engaged learning course across all disciplines. In my 17 years at USF,…

Supporting Student Leaders

For USF’s Day of the Don Celebration, we are reprinting a pre-pandemic post highlighting alum and supporter of our Center, Evelyn Fernandez Pedraza ’21, who became a dedicated social justice advocate through her experience as a her experience as a McCarthy Center Community Empowered Activist (CEA), Esther Madriz Diversity Scholar (EMDS), and Public Service and…

Come to Fellowship with the Fools

This week’s blog is from Silena Layne ’14, (center) Program Director at Faithful Fools and a long-time community partner of the Center. Learn about her experience with community-engaged learning classes at USF and how it influenced her current work in non-profits throughout San Francisco. Change is hard and when USF introduced student service-learning programs in…

Leo at the Creation

In this weeks blog, the Center’s founding director, Richard Spohn, recalls working alongside the Lt. Governor and the motivation behind creating the center. A rare privilege it was to work with Leo McCarthy in setting on a solid foundation and off on a true trajectory the Center for Public Service and the Common Good. Genial,…