UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — A select group of students at John Carroll University recently participated in global service immersion experiences sponsored by the university’s Office of Campus Ministry. Immersion experiences challenge students to engage the realities of the world while reflecting on the values of human dignity and servant leadership.
Students were assigned to one of three destinations during the university’s Winter Break. Four Western New York students participated in the program. They are listed below along with the location they served in:
- Alex Bremer of Lackawana; Jamaica
- Sean Johnson of Orchard Park; Nicaragua
- Sara Mattison of Lakeview; US-Mexico Border
- James Walleshauser of Clarence Center; Nicaragua
The students served in:
- Jamaica, where John Carroll is partnering with the Passionist Volunteers International, a year-long volunteer service program based primarily in Jamaica. Students have collaborated with members of various rural communities, visited Jamaicans in local infirmaries, HIV/AIDS clinics, afterschool literacy programs, and St. John Bosco Boys Home.
- Nicaragua where for the 11th consecutive year, John Carroll partnered with Augsburg College’s Center for Global Education and Experience to offer an immersion experience in the urban and rural regions Nicaragua. Students explored the multifaceted issue of free/fair trade, met with representatives from agriculture and craft cooperatives, and participated in homestays in the neighborhoods surrounding Managua and in the hills of Esteli.
- US/Mexico Border, where for the first time, John Carroll partnered with BorderLinks to offer an immersion experience to the US/Mexico border. While primarily based in Tucson, Arizona, students crossed into Mexico and spent two nights in the town of Agua Prieta. Students also met with public defenders and leaders from the People Helping People organization, visited a migrant resource center, took part in a border infrastructure tour, and engaged in a water drop exercise with No More Deaths.
John Carroll University, founded in 1886 as Saint Ignatius College, is located in University Heights, Ohio, in suburban Cleveland. Its Jesuit Catholic mission inspires individuals to excel in learning, leadership, and service in the region and the world. John Carroll University is recognized nationally for an exceptional four-year graduation rate, teaching excellence, and a commitment to living a faith that does justice as central to its mission. John Carroll is one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States.
Photo of students who served in Nicaragua provided by John Carroll University.
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