What do former ASC volunteers have to say about their experiences teaching, coaching, and serving in our schools? See for yourself!
What ASC Say
I joined ASC for me, but I wake up excited to teach every day because of them.
I chose to dedicate a year to the Alum Service Corps because my experiences with Jesuit institutions during my high school and college years significantly shaped who I am as a person . Though I wasn’t an education major, I left college thinking I might want to be a high school teacher, and the ASC program has given me the opportunity to explore exactly what that looks and feels like on a daily basis. My favorite part of ASC is my students and each of the weird, wacky, and often wonderful encounters I get to have with them on a daily basis.
Alicia Meehan
“The more you put into it, the more you get out of it.”
This is a quote I often heard on retreats but never really acted out on it. This past year I have truly experienced the fruits of giving my all to a school, to answering the call whenever I could be of help to the community. I’ve grown to be much less self-centered and instead putting the needs of others before myself. In doing so, I have found my actions and everyday life to be much more fulfilling. After a year of service, I can say that teaching is my vocation.
Alejandro Garcia
Community is the cornerstone of the ASC experience.
Every time we gather for retreat, with members of our cohort from across the province, it feels like coming home — home to family and friends made distant by time and space, but not distanced in charity nor fellowship . We share food and drink and our stories of teaching and living in community. I am so grateful for this program, and my fellow ASC volunteers.
Peter Lucier
I was interested in joining ASC because of the impact the ASCs at Regis had on my own development. I’m fortunate to be a part of a loving and passionate community of teachers, all dedicated to the betterment of our students and ourselves. The thing I’m most grateful to be getting out of the ASC program is the relationships, from my housemates to my students to other faculty and staff at SLUH. ~ Ian Wuertz
As the trailblazer, being the first female ASC member at Rockhurst High School this year, I have been filled with so much support and encouragement from all of the faculty, staff and students this year. I have grown so much in my teaching, relationship with God, and thinking what I can do better every single day for my students, and seeing the beauty of God’s hand at work in that is so rewarding. ~Liz Stevinson
I joined ASC to be with young men and women at Arrupe, a place similar to the Cristo Rey School I attended in Kansas City. I love the community aspect of the program and getting to know the other volunteers and my roommates. I am developing professional and interpersonal skills needed to not just work in a school, but can be applied to other areas. ~Alexis Medina
My reason for joining the Alumni Service Corps revolves around religious discernment, for spending a year teaching at a Jesuit school helps me decide if joining the Society of Jesus is the path closest to God. So far, what I love about the organization is how people like Ron, Matt, and the volunteer coordinators create and open environment which allows new volunteers such as myself to express their genuine thoughts about teaching. However the value I find in this program comes from the fulfillment in serving God out of freedom and love, which requires patience when teaching for the first time. ~Jackson Lamping
I joined ASC as a way to learn about being a teacher, while living in a community. I love living in my STL community, and having the opportunity to have conversation with each other about teaching. I’ve learned that ASC gives you a perfect opportunity to learn more about yourself and what it means to live for and with each other. ~John Russell
The first third of my year in the Alumni Service Corps as an English teacher at Arrupe in Denver has been incredibly rewarding. It has brought great challenge (as anything worth doing does) but more than that it has brought tremendous joy. Nowhere is that joy and solace more apparent than in the faces of the students of Arrupe, students whom I genuinely, and somewhat unexpectedly not only care for, but love. ~Parker Pence
I joined ASC partly because I wasn’t totally sure what path I wanted to take right after college graduation, but also to see if teaching high school was something that I might like to do in the future. I love the chance to sort of try out teaching for a year, while also getting to give back to the Jesuit mission that did so much for me at my own high school. I’m learning a lot about myself and what I want out of life, and I would say that ASC overall has been a very positive experience! ~Joel Wilper
I joined ASC for the chance to experience something beyond my own perspective. I love the community that I was fortunate enough to be adopted into. This year has been a great opportunity to learn what it is like to be on the other side of the classroom and I believe that will translate into how I communicate in any setting in the future. ~Sigmund Gusdorf
I joined ASC because I feel as though my Jesuit education has led to world of opportunities for which I am deeply grateful. Not only have I developed intellectually, but Jesuit spirituality and ideals have shaped intimately my character. Gratitude for my teachers and professors at these institutions has inspired me to give back, and hopefully give a similar experience to students of my own. Giving this experience to others is perhaps what I love most about ASC. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve, fulfilled in seeing my students learn, and joyful that I am becoming a part of such a community. ~Eric Lovan
I joined ASC because I respected and admired the teachers I had when I went to Jesuit high school. When I spoke to former ASCs, they had nothing but good things to say about the program, and I see why. Our schools expect a lot from us, but they also give us all the support we need. ~George Howe
Become a part of a 30 year tradition of competence, conscience, and compassion.
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