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

Engaging with Humility

Kiah Combs is our Graduate Assistant at the McCarthy Center who is achieving a master of Arts degree in Organization and Leadership at USF this semester. Working with coordinating undergraduate participation in Engage San Francisco‘s literacy tutoring program in The Fillmore Western Addition and in Financial Literacy, we loved every single moment of working with her…

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…

Activism Through Financial Education

Carl Levy III ’25, Marketing major and Legal Studies minor, is one of our Financial Literacy Fellows assigned to teaching young people at the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco. When working with today’s youth, the next generation of educators can see the need to prepare students for financial success! Read Carl’s experience and…

Learning to Lead: From The Fillmore to City Hall

Nicole Wilmot ’25 is currently a McCarthy Fellow of San Francisco interning at the Department of the Environment. She began her CEL journey as a freshman at Rosa Parks Elementary School as an Engage Literacy intern. Read on to learn how Nicole’s experience is giving her leadership skills from each setting. My name is Nicole…

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…

Illuminating the Path to Youth Development

With her experience in education, program management, and international education development for the San Francisco Beacon Initiative, Jessica Zlotnicki joined our Community Partner Co-Educator (CPCE) Fellowship this past spring where she connected with community peers, shared her expertise, and built a deeper understanding of how to work with USF and our students. In this post,…

Mentoring The Next Generation

Koa Fong ’25 Finance major is dedicated to social justice, Chinese-American activism, and the Jesuit values of USF. She is a member of the USF Rising Youth Mentorship program, which demonstrates how our country’s education needs the help of young people to show the way. During the 2023-2024 year, Koa helped middle school and high…

Public Service Beyond the Classroom

Congrats to Aniah Francis,’22, this year’s awardee of the Leo T. McCarthy Award for Public Service! Aniah graduated last month with a BA in Politics and a minor in Public Service and Community Engagement. This award is presented to a senior who has promoted social justice through public service throughout her undergraduate career. Aniah was…