Students spent their Jan Term at local nonprofit organizations, including St. Mary's Preschool in Oakland.
Lasallian Service Internship Students Engage the Local Community During Jan Term
Continuing a 40+ Year Tradition of Service
While many students took classes on campus during Jan Term, traveled abroad, or took time away from classes, a group of 12 students spent their Jan Term serving at several local schools and non profit organizations. They did this work through the Lasallian Service Internship course - a class that has been offered at Saint Mary’s College for over 40 years.
Formerly taught for many years by Br. Michael Avila, FSC, and entitled “Christian Service Internship” the Lasallian Service Internship course provides opportunities for students to engage reflectively with organizations that directly serve economically poor and marginalized populations, actively participate in community with each other and their assigned organization, and explore these experiences through the lens of the Lasallian mission.
Each student enrolled in the LSI course was paired with one of several local organizations and spends about 30 hours per week working directly with staff, clients or students in a variety of capacities. This year, students spent time at Catholic Charities East Bay and Monument Crisis Center in Concord, St. Mary’s Center Preschool and Community Center in Oakland, and De Marillac Academy in San Francisco.
One student in the course this year was Armaan Sidhu, ‘27. Armaan, an Accounting and Finance double major, served at the Monument Crisis Center, a community-based non-profit family resource center in Concord. While mainly working in their food pantry, Armaan also put his financial skills to good use by assisting MCC staff in tracking their donated funds. Upon reflecting on the experience, Armaan shared that the LSI course and his time at MMC “allowed me to engage with the community outside of Saint Mary’s and to better understand the realities of poverty faced by low-income individuals and families.” Reflecting on the impact the experience had on him, he noted that “Moving forward, I carry with me a more honest understanding of service as both effort and presence, and a greater understanding of how I can use my time and energy to support others in meaningful ways.”
Together, this year’s LSI students logged over 750 Engaged Learning hours during Jan Term, while also reflecting critically on topics of charity, justice, service, vocation, and community. Much more than just fulfilling a core requirement, this year’s students poured their hearts and souls into their work, and came away with a vivid experience of using their presence, time, gifts and talents in response to the world’s needs.