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Service Learning Program

To fulfill the Jesuit ideal of being men and women in service to others, during the summer following their freshman year the Scholars explore the problems of hunger, homelessness, and educational inequity in the Boston area through participation in a program modeled after PULSE, Boston College's nationally acclaimed course of study and service. Through their work, Presidential Scholars are challenged to see themselves in relation to acute national problems, to think creatively about the roots of these problems, the nature and efficacy of society's response, and the response that these problems elicit in their own personal and professional lives. Placements in recent years have included the Spectrum Boys' Unit, the Suffolk County House of Correction, Rosie's Place, the Labouré Center, the Italian Home for Children, the Project Bread Hunger Hotline, Haley House, and St. Francis House. In parallel with their service, Scholars read and reflect on a variety of texts--from philosophy, social science, public policy, economics and theology--pertinent to issues of poverty and social justice. Weekly discussion sessions challenge Scholars to integrate these readings with their field experiences and to reflect on the implications for their personal values and professional goals.

Kwu at GBFB

Katherine Wu '08 at Greater Boston Food Bank - Sept. '07

This past summer, I traveled on the Green Line to Haley House, not a typical destination for many Bostonians...I experienced the breadth of diversity in Boston, which assuredly extends to socio-economic diversity. Haley House, located in the South End of Boston, is a self-described "spiritually based community nurtured by the personalist tradition of the Catholic Worker Movement" that provides a wide array of programs for the community, including low income housing, soup kitchen, food pantry, bakery cafe, cooking lessons, elder meals, and more.  For six weeks I was involved in the day-to-day operations of Haley House, working with the elderly, indigent, and neglected - the most vulnerable and voiceless members of society.  This was a side of Boston that I had not yet seen, a side of Boston that some lifelong Bostonians had never seen.  This was one component of the PSP Summer Service Program...Undeniably, the Summer Service Program awakened the emotions of every Scholar, but in a very different ways.  While some Scholars expressed feelings of confusion, still others conveyed feelings of joy - joy in celebrating the dignity of every individual, regardless of circumstance.  Yet, all Scholars were challenged personally and changed for the better by this experience.

Brian Varian, Carroll School '11
Finance major from Mahopac, NY