Saint Joseph's grads give back

St. Joe's seniors are following the growing trend of graduates entering the world of service instead of the typical working world.

The Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) is just one organization that has reported an increase in applications in recent years, receiving more than 150 applicants since 2008. Among Jesuit colleges and universities, Saint Joseph's is a leading contributor of applicants, with 18 St. Joe's students applying to the JVC in the last three years.

While students across the nation all have different motivations for packing their bags and traveling to different parts of the world to serve others, those leaving Hawk Hill share a common story. For four graduating seniors, St. Joe's has not only shaped who they are, but what they will be doing after commencement.

Matt Pimentel, '10, a Spanish and philosophy double major, will be spending 27 months in Peru with the International Program of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVI). Pimentel had been interested in JVI since high school, but opportunities at St. Joe's furthered his curiosity.

"I acquired a breadth of knowledge that has allowed me to foster a real interest in Latin America," Pimentel said. "It wasn't until St. Joe's until I had the opportunity to travel to so many different places. It's never been a matter of traveling, but a matter of learning."

During his time at St. Joe's, Pimentel traveled on and led several Service Immersion Programs and spent a semester in Chile. While his post-graduate service commitment lasts more than two years and requires him to pioneer a new site in Peru, he is not nervous.

"It's one experience that you carry with you for the rest of your life," said Pimentel. "It's part of who you are. It's your entirety."

Mary Kate McCoog '10, an elementary/special education major, will be living in Boston and participating in the Urban Catholic Teaching Corps, where she'll be living in a faith-based community and teaching in an elementary school. McCoog credits her education degree, service trips, and the Summer Scholars program for the preparation she's received for her new endeavor.

"I've always been passionate about urban education," McCoog said. "The Urban Catholic Teaching Corps aligned most with my ideals."

Tom Power, '10, a psychology major, feels that his year of service in the Border Servant Corps, a New Mexico-based volunteer program that serves the border area of southern New Mexico and west Texas. Powers will serve as the Immersion Program Coordinator.

"What's prepared me has been my participation in immersion trips, understanding their structure, and my leadership involvement in making these experiences work," Powers said.

Power will be planning trips for high school and college students in the corps' El Paso location, as well as guiding the students through their experiences and providing background on border and immigration issues. He'll also direct an ESL program at a predominately Mexican parish.

For political science major, Caitlin Resuche, '10, some form of post-graduate service has always been on the horizon. Reusche will be a Teach for America corps member in Denver, Colo., where she'll be teaching special education classes.

"I'm really interested in education policy, " Reusche said. "I knew I would never be able to be in the field without experience."

Reusche said she was exposed to various types of service and inequality throughout her St. Joe's career, in activities such as weekly service and leading the spring break trip to the Appalachian region.

"St. Joe's really prepared me for service," said Reusche. "The exposure I've been given has opened my mind up."

While Reusche will no longer be on the student side of the classroom, she said she'll not stop learning on the teaching side.

"I'm more curious than when I came," Reusche said. "There's so much I want to learn, and I owe that to St. Joe's."