Center for Experiential Learning

Community Partnerships Coordinator

In this role, I'm responsible for supporting our wonderful community partners in their dealings with the University, especially as it pertains to students doing their Engaged Learning. Our Center for Experiential Learning partnership statement lays out what we aim for in these mutually beneficial relationships. A typical day might find me meeting with partners to learn about their organizations, discuss their goals, and develop opportunities for students to engage with them. On another, I could be working with faculty and staff to match their courses and programs with partners. Some of the best days, however, are when I get to go out into the community to see the incredible work our partners are doing, especially when our Loyola students are a part of it. Each academic year, Loyola students complete their Engaged Learning with approximately 800 different organizations, so I stay pretty busy.

On top of this work, I have the privilege of running the Social Justice Internship (SJI) Grant Program. Through this program, ten students complete nine-month internships with either Catholic Charities or Misericordia. By interning for the full academic year, students are able to integrate much deeper into the workings of the organization than if they left after one semester. The students also take my class, a special two-semester section of EXPL 390: Organizational Change and Community Leadership. The unique setup of this seminar gives us as an SJI community the chance to dive deeply into topics of leadership, community organizing and development, identity and privilege, civic professionalism, and more. If you're in Chicago, join us at Loyola's annual Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium to see the students discuss their work.

Community Service and Action

Graduate Assistant

Community Outreach Coordinator/Americorps VISTA

Coming out of college, I pursued post-graduate service work through the Americorps VISTA program, and this brought me to Loyola through Illinois Campus Compact. Campus Compact placed me in Loyola's Center for Community Service and Action, a brand-new department on campus. Because we were a new center wiht a staff of two, I got the opportunity to take on a lot of responsibilities. I spent two years working as a VISTA, followed by two additional years as a Graduate Assistant while I completed my Master's in Higher Education. During that time, I managed a number of different program, including Loyola4Chicago, Hunger Week, the weekly soup kitchen program, and Saturday of Service. I also had the chance with our director to create Start the Fire, a new retreat for incoming students to introduce them to neighborhoods around campus and how the students can engage in service within them. All of these programs involved me developing and strengthening leadership structures, revamping recruitment efforts, adding reflection and educational elements, and deepening relationships between the University and community organizations.