Check out testimonials from recent Canisius grads who have committed to post-graduate volunteer service!
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Becoming a postgraduate volunteer in the Jesuit volunteer corps is like taking on two fulltime careers. First, there is the placement you are given where you spend most of your days. I am currently teaching music and study skills to student at the St Patrick SUCCEED Academy in Sacramento, CA. My days are a jumble of rhythm games with boomwhackers, singing at the top of my lungs, hearing squeaks on the recorder, and of course laughter and smiles. There are the tough moments of working in a high needs school with families dealing with varying kinds of poverty. Emotions run high; students are often agitated and living in a world of high adrenaline. That is only one of my jobs. My other job is being a volunteer and that starts at home. This job consists of keeping our home in tip top shape, with chore schedules, sharing cooking responsibilities, dinners with my casemates, community and spirituality nights where we learn about each other, trips together throughout California, and so much more. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Canisius prepared me to be a servant leader – being flexible, patient, and ready for the challenge of each day is a part of that. I am proud to be “ruined for life” and I know that after this year, I will never be the same. -Megan Brenner, ‘10 | |
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Greetings from Chuuk!! I never thought that I would ever be spending a year of my life teaching in another country, let alone Micronesia, and even more so, never as a volunteer, but after my experiences doing service at Canisius, I knew that the best way to continue my education; education as a person, as a teacher, and about myself, I would need to address that "call" that I could not seem to shake. And let me tell you, it has been the best experience that I could have ever asked for. Please consider a year or two of service after college. I guarantee that you will not regret it. Hold onto that passion, because it is students like yourselves, who are devoted to living out the mantra of "men and women for others," who truly make this world a better place. Sam Cardamone, ‘09 | |
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Overall my volunteer year was the best year of my life. I feel like I learned so much, much more than I would have learned last year if I did not volunteer. That being said, it is not always the easiest thing being a volunteer. One of the hardest things for me to deal with throughout the year was that knowing that for some people, there is just nothing that you can do to help them. I am the kind of person who wants to help everyone fix their problems, but some of the people that I worked with had problems that require a lot more work that is possible at this time. Facing this challenge was always a tough one for me. Another tough area was wondering whether or not I was even helping at all, especially with the kids. Some days you feel like a complete failure and like you are not doing anything worthwhile which is hard to deal with throughout the year. However by the end of the year, I knew that I had made such a big impact even if it was in the smallest way and I still am finding out how much I impacted not only the children, but their families and the staff at Mercy Center. Kathleen Coughlin, ‘06 | |
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There is no other experience like post-graduate volunteering. It is an amazing opportunity to completely empty yourself in the service of God's beautiful children. It is a chance to really understand that relationships and love are the very thing that all human beings are made of and made for. Josie Diebold, ‘09 | |
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I live in a big house in Philly with six other Jesuit Volunteers from around the country. It's tough at times, but the challenges are worth it. We eat together, dance together, read together, laugh together, cry together, then get on the subway each morning and go our separate ways to work. I work out in West Philadelphia (yes, like the Fresh Prince song) at a small organization called Witness to Innocence. We are the only organization in the nation composed of, by and for death row survivors and their loved ones. I've met the most incredible individuals through this work. It's tough at times, but the challenges are worth it. Wonder why? Do a year of JVC and find out. You won't regret it. -Emma Fabian, ‘10 | |
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Let's get one thing straight: long-term volunteering is in absolutely no way "taking a year off," as so many people casually call it. It is a year of volunteer service; I grew more, did more, and began more deeply meaningful relationships through that one year than I have through any other experience to date. It is a time to build relationships that are stronger than family ties; a time to build faith in God that is more personal than the daily hugs you will receive; and a time to build a deep connection to humanity that can only come from finding yourself by "losing oneself in service to others." Paul Stage, ‘08 |