As a freshman, Andrea Lozano ’20CPS is still new to college life. But she is already rethinking the future, thanks to a five-day service trip she took during spring break through St. John’s University.

“It was very inspiring,” said Andrea, a criminal justice major at SJU’s Staten Island campus. “I’ve been thinking about law school for a while—now I’m interested in social justice law, something that really helps people.”

Changing lives is an aim of SJU’s Plunge Program. The nine, weeklong service trips, offered through Campus Ministry draw students throughout the academic year. They work in soup kitchens, mentor children, paint schools, and repair homes, among other activities. “It’s more than charity,” said Rev. Tri M. Duong, C.M., Campus Minister and the program’s coordinator. “It’s Vincentian Service, reflecting Catholic Social Teaching. Our focus is transformation—for ourselves, and the world.”

Going Where the Need Is

“Reflection is a big part of the experience,” said Sr. Patricia Evanick, D.C., Campus Minister for Vincentian Service. “At the end of each day, we discuss what we did, the ways we encounter God in the act of service, and in those we serve.” Plunges, Sr. Patricia added, are organized in partnership “with elements of the Vincentian family—like the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Daughters of Charity, which offer services in the cities and neighborhoods we visit.”

For five days, Andrea joined nine other students on the Los Angeles Plunge. Victoria O’Keefe ’13CPS, ’15MA, a Resident Minister at the Queens campus, led the group along with a graduate assistant. They stayed at the Cardinal Manning Center, a downtown shelter run by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, serving meals, handing out food to homeless people on Skid Row, and volunteering at Maryvale, a Daughters of Charity home for at-risk youth.

The Los Angeles Plunge was one of three offered during spring break, February 25 to March 4. Sr. Patricia and a graduate assistant accompanied 10 students to Macon, GA, and Campus Minister Megan Fraino led 10 students to Denver, CO. Another group served in Philadelphia in January. This May, plunges are scheduled for Niagara Falls, NY; Panama; Philadelphia; and Lourdes, France. Campus Ministry also offers the Rendu Freshman Service Experience every August.

Read more at http://www.stjohns.edu/about/news/2017-03-17/students-combine-reflection-good-work-spring-plunges