A USF Service Learner’s Experience

Editor’s Note: Linda Szabados is a junior at University of San Francisco and a native of the Bay Area. She currently serves as an Advocate for Community Engagement (ACE) for St. Anthony Foundation, an integral liaison between St. Anthony’s, USF and our service-learning students. Below is a reflection on her experiences as an ACE and her perspective on her role with St. Anthony’s.

“Growing up in the Bay Area, my family and I were always involved in serving others-whether it was through our church and parish, our cultural community, or in our neighborhood. I had not only been raised by my family to see the value in serving, and recognize it’s importance, but I had always attended schools that re-enforced this same belief. During my junior year of high school, I participated in one of St. Anthony’s Justice Education days and served in the Dining Room, and it was the first time I had been exposed to serving in a large, structured, non-profit organization. I was very moved by my experiences in the Dining Room, and when I enrolled in a service-learning course during my first year at USF, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with St. Anthony’s once again. This led me to recognize the value St. Anthony’s placed on their volunteers and also gain a better understanding of the amount of work staff truly put into operating such an organization. I felt as though I had learned a lot through my experiences with St. Anthony’s and had really become part of a community during my service.

The following year, I had the opportunity to begin working for USF as an Advocate for Community Engagement (ACE) which enabled me to take a leadership role in facilitation other students’ service-learning experiences. I was placed with a different non-profit in the city and it was a job I was very excited about. However, as the semester got underway, I felt as though some of the students and professors I was working with did not seem quite as enthusiastic and I began to feel a little cynical. Considering the great experiences I had as a service-learner, it was frustrating to work with students who did not see the same value as I did in service. It brought me to question myself: Were my expectations of service-learners and their professors too high? I did not think so. However, as I began to evaluate my own service experiences, I also began to doubt my initial response to that question.

As the year went on, and I contemplated this more and more, I began to realize that everyone carries different experiences and biases with them when they volunteer. That realization helped me to better understand my role as an ACE and to help support service-learners through their experiences, helping them to learn and grow through service and solidarity with the community.

This year, my role as an ACE, came full circle when I jumped at the opportunity to facilitate service-learning experiences at the same organization where I first completed my own two years ago, St. Anthony Foundation. The students and professors with whom we are working are phenomenal, invested in the community and learning to achieve their own educational objectives while finding purpose in providing service to the community. I feel really grateful for this opportunity and am inspired by the work of St. Anthony’s and the dedication of our service-learning partners!!”

To inquire further about St. Anthony Foundation’s service-learning program, visit our website!