As the McQuaid Jesuit community begins to prepare for this school year’s Service Immersion Trips, students reflected on their past experiences.

Throughout the past few years, the trips have grown in popularity amongst McQuaid Jesuit students. They are open to only juniors and seniors, offering a wide range of destinations, including Arizona, West Virginia and Ecuador.

The immersion experiences are designed to teach students the elements of hard work, service, and humility.

Senior Jay Crowley said he enjoyed “spending time helping others and learning new things about my classmates.” Crowley is one of the members of the Class of 2018 that attended the Navajo Nation Service Trip in Arizona over the summer.

“It taught me to be grateful for what I have in my life and not be selfish. It really helped me grow as a man for others,” Crowley added.

The Service Immersion Trips offered by McQuaid Jesuit are great opportunities for students to earn service hours, while simultaneously learning valuable life lessons that will help them grow into men that exemplify the school’s mission.

This year, McQuaid Jesuit will offer a variety of trips and destinations for Juniors and Seniors, with weekend trips, trips over breaks, and trips during the summer.

This year, McQuaid Jesuit will offer plenty of immersion experiences. Twice in 2018, students will travel to Navajo Nation, Arizona, to do construction work and work with children. One group will serve during winter break, February 17 through February 24, 2018. The other group will travel during summer break, from July 17 through July 27, 2018.

The Rochester Urban Plunge will take place from January 26 through January 28, 2018. Six juniors will serve the sick, homeless and abused.

Another group of seniors will travel to Quito, Ecuador from May 21 through May 29, 2018 to work with students from The Working Boys Center and do some home repair projects.

Two different groups of upperclassmen will serve in Wheeling, West Virginia this year, one trip from April 2 through April 7, 2018 and the other group from May 21 through May 29, 2018. Students will work with a local organization on disaster relief and home repair projects.

Another experience will be available to rising seniors and will travel to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic from July 7 through July 14, 2018. These students will work on construction, milk ministry and work with children.

The final trip will be travelling to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from July 29 through August 3, 2018. Students will helping with the St. Vincent De Paul Young Adult Center helping students and the homeless.