service-learning | Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good

Casa Bayanihan – Living and Learning in Solidarity

It is very difficult to sum up my experience in the Philippines with the Casa Bayanihan program. Almost every alum will tell someone who asks that. I could talk about what my everyday life was like there. I could talk about what I did. However, even these two simple concepts are difficult for me to explain because the Casa Bayanihan program is about taking students out of the context of their own lives. – Kaitlin Thaxton Elkins

Beginning My USF in D.C. Experience

It was 34 degrees outside when I first landed at Dulles International Airport. Never having spent much time in cold weather, that was definitely a shock. The biggest shock, however, came when my Lyft driver pulled up in front of the University of California DC (UCDC) building and said, “Wow, you’re only six or seven blocks away from The White House, that’s cool!” – Emily Adsit

What About an Internship Abroad?

When I first learned about the Privett Global Scholars at a school information session, I immediately knew this was something I wanted to do. – Nichole Vasquez

Life-long conversations on neighborhoods, housing and gentrification

Community-engaged learning claims many student benefits like making learning relevant by bridging theory and practice, promoting openness to multiple perspectives, and fostering dispositions to further community involvement. As I reflect on my community-engaged learning in college over three decades ago, one measure of that learning’s value sticks with me — enduring questions that I’ve considered for a lifetime since. – David Donahue

Applying ‘Change the World From Here to Washington, D.C.

s I walked into my supervisor’s office on my first day to partake in what would be one of many “huddles” (office lingo for team and one-on-one check-ins), I glanced across her desk to see a sticky note posted on her computer screen which read, “Every day counts!”- Katherine Pantangco

Random acts of kindness

There’s a quote I often think of that’s often used when tragic events happen in the world – the Boko Haram kidnapping, the Paris attack, Newtown shooting, Boston bombing, Colorado shootings, Kenya attack and countless others. – Rebecca McDowell

Seeing the Past in the Present: A History Lesson Through Walk SF

It was my second week working with Generation Citizen in a classroom. On the projector, there was an image of a map of San Francisco, displaying the districts and neighborhoods shaded in different colors to represent varying levels of unemployment. In front of me, the students, all 9th and 10th graders, took turns asking questions and pointing out things they noticed on the map. – Benjamin Rosete-Estrada

Learning to Become an Advocate for Community Engagement with Upward Bound

When I first heard about the Advocate for Community Engagement (ACE) program through the Leo T. McCarthy Center, I knew it would be an incredibly unique opportunity for me to explore my passions surrounding social justice. – Greta Karisny