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

How our students show up in community

In this week’s blog, we share insight from 2023 cohort from the Community Partner Co-Educator (CPCE) Fellowship. The 12 community partner participants were asked about USF students; who they are, what are their identities, and what do they bring to their organizations? Read the exceptional quotes and testimonials from the CPCE Fellows’ responses and reflections…

Designing for Community Empowerment Activists

In this week’s blog, Sofia Criswell ’25 reflects on their journey creating the new Community Empowerment Activists (CEA) logo. With collaboration and creativity, Sofia was able to blend various components of diversity, community, Mother Earth, color, and joy in their artwork. Keep reading to learn about the artistic process and what the logo portrays. Reflecting…

The Mysterious Role of the Assessor-Recorder

In this week’s blog, Alyssa Diammyra Cruz ’23, International Studies major with Global Politics and European Regional Focus, reflects on her internship with San Francisco’s assessor-recorder’s department. She learned about the department’s key role in property taxes but also about the importance of community outreach with residents and small businesses. Keep reading to learn more…

Centering the Marginalized

In this week’s blog, Zachary Sexton, McCarthy Fellow in San Francisco, describes the importance of communities dictating their own priorities and developing their own solutions. Keep reading to learn more about his experience with the Tenderloin Community Action Plan, empowering neighborhood residents to determine their own basic needs from their lived experience. I am Zachary…

Honoring Our Own Divinity

In this week’s blog, Alyssa Traina ’25, Politics major with a double minor in Public Relations and Legal Studies, reflects on Sister Destiny’s visit to their class with storytelling and Jazz. Read more about “H.O.O.D.” as Honoring Our Own Divinity and her wisdom in using radical love to fight for our communities. Under the bright…

Photo of the authors whose book is the subject of the blog

Craft of Community Enagagement

In what came to her as a natural growth from previous projects, McCarthy Center Director for Community-Engaged Learning, Star Moore, found it necessary to craft a tool-kit for the art of service-learning as a means to guide faculty through the theoretical foundations of community engagement, the practical process of designing and implementing a community-engaged course,…

Sheryl Davis pictured speaking after receiving her hononarary doctorate

Through Courage, Community & Creativity

We are honored to showcase the inspiring words of Sheryl Davis, USF alum, McCarthy Center Board Member and Executive Director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission. She was recently conferred an Honorary Doctorate by USF and spoke on the need to share our gifts, through courage, community and creativity I wrestled with what to…

Student Companion to Community-Engaged Learning

I am thrilled to share the outcome of a collaborative project between myself and McCarthy Center Director, Dave Donahue, that has been years in the making! The Student Companion to Community-Engaged Learning: What You Need to Know for Transformative Learning and Real Social Change is a book designed for students to read in the first…