Academic Service Learning Semesters - What Students Say

What students say about their service learning experiences:

One learns different things in a different way compared to a semester at Xavier. It is interactive learning ... that affects the heart, mind and soul. I've never learned more about certain subjects, about myself or others at any other level of my education.

It is a learning experience that breaks down boundaries between people of different backgrounds and reduces stereotypes. It gave me insight into who people are and how all our experiences in life are intertwined.

The experience causes a tremendous opening up of yourself.

It was the best experience of my life; I grew in every way possible.

Being able to communicate fluently in Spanish has enriched my life so much...I never would have reached my level of proficiency without first getting the immersion experience of living with a Nicaraguan family.

I am now a person who is much more aware of the complexities of systemic injustices and work to understand these issues thoroughly and then to act on them.

[The Solidarity Semester] empowered me to take a less passive role in my own education and to more actively construct my understanding of the world. I have a broader world context through which to view the things about which I learned.

Huge personal growth experienced during that trip - spiritually, socially, ethically - I came back a more humble but more passionate person, and I still reflect back on that time as pivotal for me.

Program activities, including travel, also help [us] relate more sensitively to people across ethnic, linguistic, and class boundaries