From rural West Virginia to impoverished Ecuador, WJ students learn what life is like outside their comfortable air-conditioned homes and classrooms. Every year the school sends over 100 students who contribute about 48,000 hours of service to eight locations.

In the wise words of Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ, “Only by being a man or woman for others does one become fully human.” The profound experiences shared by participating students, both locally and internationally, become informative and formative experiences for students seeking to embody the qualities of a Graduate at Graduation.

Senior Colin Waltz said, “The week I spent on my immersion trip to Cleveland gave me room to form amazing relationships, both with Walsh Jesuit students and those we served. The time we spent with the homeless and marginalized made the issues of poverty incredibly real, because they were just a short 30 minute drive from my comfortable life in suburban Cleveland. The experience was shockingly personal. I learned that the issues I thought to be foreign, only taking place thousands of miles away, also exist in my own backyard.”

One of the main differences between the international and domestic trips is the language barrier. Students are faced with trying to communicate with others using more than just words. Senior Matt Hoffman talked about the poverty he saw during his trip to Guatemala last summer: “We may not have been able to solve poverty or even speak the same language, but we could certainly impact the people with our friendships and love.”

The immersion program, organized by Campus Ministry, is open to both sophomores and juniors. Through their experiences, students come face to face with the gritty reality of the outside world and are afforded an opportunity to serve and appreciate what it means to be human. Please visit WJ’s Campus Ministry immersion page to learn more.