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

Reflections from the Border and Ajo, Arizona

In our last blog post, we heard from Madalyn Bowden ’25, Amy Zhang Jiang ’25, and Abigail Pena ’25 took part in the USF Architecture capstone studio, Community Design Outreach that designed installed water barrels in the Sonoran desert. Hear the reflections from their stay in Ajo, Arizona alongside Humane Borders, a non-profit organization whose…

Power in Community, Power to Community

Olivia Brown ’25, a Critical Diversity Studies and Public Relations student, has also been an Engage Literacy Tutor for three years. She works with today’s youth in our city’s Booker T. Washington Youth Community Service Center and has built strong relationships over time. Read how her experience has helped the next generation embrace who they…

The Gift of Water Through Community Design

Madalyn Bowden ’25, Amy Zhang Jiang ’25, and Abigail Pena ’25 took part in the USF Architecture capstone studio Community Design Outreach during the Fall 2024 semester! This past January, eleven students and Professors Seth Watchel and Ross McCarthy embarked on an immersion trip to Ajo, Arizona to meet with non-profit organization, Humane Borders, volunteers…

Growing into Leadership

Cassidy Chung ’25 is a Politics major with General Business, Legal Studies, and Public Service and Community Engagement (PSCE) minors! She had the recent honor of being a student speaker at the Women In Leadership & Philanthropy’s spring syposium this month. Read how her involvement in USF impacts her past, present, and future! Stepping into…

Bringing Financial Literacy to Community

Darius Moore ’25, a double major in Finance and Accounting has been an Equity Intern, an Engage Literacy tutor and is now one of our financial literacy fellows! The Silk Financial Literacy Initiative advances financial freedom and economic empowerment for youth from marginalized communities through culturally relevant financial literacy education. Read on to learn about…

Meet our 2025 USF in DC Fellows!

We are pleased to introduce the spring cohort of eight students who will join us this semester for our USF in Washington, D.C. Fellows program. They come from multiple backgrounds, have diverse interests, and arrive with a common thread and dedication to public service. Currently, they’re applying their skills and determination to internships in the…

The Ripple Effect of Mentoring

Nyamal Chuol ’27 is a Public Health major with an Environmental Science minor working as a USF Rising Youth Mentor. Providing guidance for the next generation is a way of breaking down the same barriers that she had experienced just a few years earlier. With empathy, Nyamal puts herself in the mentees’ shoes and supports…

The Power of Mentorship

Sophia Troiani ’25 is one of our USF Rising Youth Mentors! Moving from Texas to California, she found her drive to give back and empower our communities. Pursuing her Psychology degree while minoring in Public Service and Community Engagement, Sophia has left a mark on our community by giving our mentees an insight into their…