The Common Good
News and Notes
Maria Caruso (front row, second from left) and Rory
Kozik (back row, third from right) with King Abdul-
lah (front row, center).
Professor Corey Cook’s lawmaking class
traveled to Sacramento in March to at-
tend the California Center for Education
and Public Affairs Sacramento legislative
seminar. This three-day experience allowed
students to get a glimpse of the workings
of state government firsthand, and to meet
legislators and students from universities
across California.
Leo T. McCarthy Center for
Public Service and the common Good
2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-1048
C e l e b r a t i n g 15 0 Y E A R S
Change Service Requested
www.usfca.edu
Educating minds and hearts to change the world
Fall 2008 USF in DC students Maria Car-
uso and Rory Kozik met with His Majesty
King Abdullah of Jordan as well as HRH
Prince Ghazi Ben Mohammad, the King’s
special adviser and personal envoy, and
Royal Court Chief Nasser Lozi. They visited
Jordan while particiipating in the Contem-
porary Islam program through American
University’s Washington Semester program.
www.usfca.edu/mccarthycenter
Send comments to
Standing (left to right): Joseph Emde, Linda Szabados,
mccarthycenter@usfca.edu
Daniel Drane, Melissa Stihl, Kelsey Moskitis, Noel Vogel,
Chris Coulombe, Kate Woodworth.Front row (left to
right): Hannah Linkenhoker, Erin-Kate Escobar.
The Common Good
Editor
Angela Mucci
Phone
(415) 422-5662 News from the Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the common good SPRING 2009
Reflections on Being an ACE
Fa x
(415) 422-5641 By Brisa Rojas, Advocate for Community Engagement and USF Student
M
We’re on the web! y role as an Advocate for
Community Engagement (ACE)
Joan Buchanan
has made my college experience
David Canepa
that much more rewarding. As an ACE I have Friends of McCarthy Center
gotten the opportunity to do many things Enjoy Electoral Success
that my fellow classmates may have not. I
The McCarthy Center is happy to announce
have been able to manage students, work
with those in the non profit sector, attend
the election of Joan Buchanan (California State
Assembly, 15th District) and David Canepa
conferences around the country, and attain
(Daly City, City Council). Joan is on our
professional and personal growth through Board of Advisors, and David is a USF alumnus
the different curriculum we go through each (1998) and friend of the McCarthy Center. We
semester. My job as an ACE is to be the Brisa spends time with her host family’s
children in La Chacra, El Salvador. wish them continued success!
liaison between professors, students, and an
organization in service-learning.
McCarthy Alumni
The organization that I have worked with for my entire time as an ACE, three years, has
been St. Anthony Foundation (SAF) which is located in the Tenderloin. Before becoming
Spotlight:
an ACE I did my service-learning with SAF and was encouraged by my ACE to apply for
Megan McMahan
the position. I was very passionate about the work I was doing with SAF and the connec- After receiving the Public
Service Honors Minor from
tions I was making and was thrilled when I found out I would be their ACE.
the McCarthy Center in
Throughout my time as an ACE with SAF, I have had the wonderful opportunity to delve 2006, Megan McMahan
into learning about social issues such as homelessness, hunger, and addictive illness. became a lieutenant in the United States Army.
Working with my own peers in a leadership role has been a challenging and rewarding She is currently serving her first tour or duty in
experience. It is my job to recruit students, help orient them to SAF, keep track of hours, Iraq, working as an ER nurse in Baghdad at
assist with projects, and hold reflection sessions. It’s wonderful to see students going through Ibn Sina Hospital. She is pictured here with her
the process of opening their minds and hearts, and combating the stereotypes they have, husband, helicopter pilot Captain David Matters.
just as I once did. I feel that I have truly become a part of the community by doing this
work. Not only do we do our job as an ACE but we also do direct service at our organiza-
tions. Through service I have met wonderful people who have opened my eyes to new Save the Date for the McCarthy
perspectives and have captivated my heart. Center Graduation Celebration!
Friday, May 15, 5:30-7:30pm
Being an ACE has led me to take part in other great experiences as well. For instance,
Berman Hall, Fromm Institute
I chose to study abroad in El Salvador because the program, Casa de la Solidaridad, had a
service aspect to it. Two days a week was spent in a community doing some kind of service. Join us as we honor this year’s McCarthy
The community that I spent my time in was La Chacra, an urban community filled with Center graduates and celebrate with them and
unemployment, poverty, and gang violence. Over my time there, I found that it was so their families.
much more, a place where there was a true sense of community. I spent half of the day
teaching English classes to children from kindergarten to 6th grade at Fe y Alegria, and
the other half of the day doing home visits with the local priest. I can vividly recall the
first home visit we made. It was this tiny house where a mother and her three children
lived. The mother was talking about their situation and how she was trying to find a job
with no luck. She said that her 15-year-old daughter would quit school next year to work
to help pay for her younger siblings’ education. As we sat in her house the 15-year-old was
eating a carrot and the mother said that it would be all she would eat for the day. After
this visit I knew that I was in for a life-changing experience in El Salvador. My experi-
ences in the Tenderloin and in La Chacra are very different, but they both have educated McCarthy Center alumna Hannah Minkevitch ’08
and touched me in a way that no book can, which is the purpose of service-learning.
receives her Public Service Honors Minor stole at last
year’s graduation celebration.
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 The Common Good
USF in DC Students Celebrate the Inauguration
By Larena Nellies-Ortiz, USF in DC student
This semester, USF in DC students had the unique opportunity to take part in the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
Here, Larena Nellies-Ortiz reflects on her experience.
I
couldn’t sleep well the entire night. The excitement about the next
day seemed to infiltrate my dreams, making me open my eyes every
couple of hours to check the clock with butterflies in my stomach
and a nervousness that I would wake up late and miss it all. Finally at
8:30 am I jumped out of my bed and knew I had to get a move on. Half
of the people I had discussed inauguration plans with had already left
hours earlier on the first Metro train at 4 am.
I walked the 10 minutes to the nearest Metro station and was pleasantly
surprised to find it busier than usual but nowhere near as chaotic
or overpopulated as the news reports had been predicting the week
before. I managed to get an empty seat and soaked in the festive
atmosphere of the Metro. The usually quiet Metro was filled with
chatter and laughter. Strangers joked and smiled at each other and
somehow there was a feeling of camaraderie, that we were all in this
together and no matter how crazy the day got, we were the lucky ones
who would be able to experience it in person.
The train stopped at Judiciary Square and we all headed up toward the
exit. At the entrance of the Metro there was a volunteer attempting to
guide the hordes of people who closely surrounded him, clamoring for
maps and advice. When I finally squeezed through the crowd to ask
him which direction we should walk in, he told me matter of fact, “the
Mall is already full.” My heart sank; I knew I should have left earlier!
It was only 9:30 am at this point and the best option was to follow the
steady flow of people streaming toward the Mall from all directions.
Pelosi Dining Room Reception
O
n a beautiful fall October night in Washington, D.C., the
McCarthy Center hosted an evening with USF students and
alumni in Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s private dining
room, U.S. Capitol Building. It was a great night with alumni and
students sharing stories about their experiences working and living in
Washington. USF President Stephen A. Privett, S.J., welcomed everyone
and emphasized the networking opportunities for the students with
our distinguished alumni in the room. The McCarthy Center sends
five students per semester to live, work, and learn in Washington, D.C.
in conjunction with American University’s Washington Semester Program.
Fall USF in DC students introduce themselves (left to right): Samuel Dykstra,
Rory Kozik, Christa Brown, Jamie Lazaro, Maria Caruso. Also pictured is
McCarthy Center Director Patrick Murphy.
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USF in DC students Addie Byars (left) and Rhianna Gesch attend inauguration
festivities.
In what felt like no time I had arrived at the Lincoln Memorial and
found a small space in front of one of the large screens broadcasting the
inauguration. As more and more people crept up the hill, the spirit of
what had got us here was apparent. “Yes we can!”
The McCarthy Center was proud to co-sponsor the 8th annual
Global Women’s Rights Forum on March 2-6, 2009 celebrating
International Women’s Day. The week of events surrounding
women’s issues kicked off with an evening focused on immi-
grant women’s rights in California. Other forum events
included evenings focused on youth organizing against HIV/
AIDS at home and abroad, global perspectives on religious
fundamentalism, and women in the news.
The Common Good
Advocates for Community Engagement Retreat
By Star Moore, Office of Service-Learning and Community Action Assistant Director
T
he Office of Service-Learning and Community Action held its
fourth annual Advocates for Community Engagement (ACE)
retreat over the weekend of February 20th. Five ACEs, one
student assistant, and three staff members participated in the retreat,
which included opportunities for team-building, community service,
personal reflection, and social issues exploration.
The retreat began with a leadership self-assessment activity and
subsequent role play. The purpose was for the students to think about
how their personality affects their professional interactions with other
service-learning stakeholders. Next, our dynamic group bonded (and
demonstrated our collective athleticism) at Planet Granite, where we
received rock climbing and belay lessons. As one person climbed,
another was responsible for managing the rope connected to the climber,
ensuring a safe ascent and descent. Not only did the students learn the
value of communication through this activity, but they also reflected on Student staff helps prepare food at the Glide Foundation.
their personal strengths and weaknesses in times of challenge.
poor and homeless residents of the Tenderloin. While chopping ham and
The second day was filled with emotionally challenging content as we veggies, we talked about the services provided by Glide and the needs
explored issues of racism. Two ACE leaders, Aika Young and Brisa Rojas, that the organization addresses. The students engaged in this service
expertly facilitated activities and reflections pulled from the book, with joyful hearts and open minds, which were further nourished by
Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice. The students shared their attending the Sunday Celebration service at Glide Church. This was the
personal experiences of developing racial identity and awareness, then culmination of our retreat, and it was incredibly uplifting! To begin, we
explored more systemic manifestations of racism. The day ended with were welcomed with gospel music provided by a talented choir and live
participants developing a personal action plan for addressing racial band. Then, the spiritual message was about the power of love in com-
oppression on a realistic manageable scale for the spring semester and bating discrimination, which resonated vividly with us after our explor-
beyond. At our subsequent group meetings, we have agreed to check in ation of racism the day before.
on progress toward achieving our action plans to support and encourage The ACE retreat is an important part of the training and mentoring
each other to follow through. that we provide to our student leaders. Overwhelmingly, the students
The final day of the retreat brought us to Glide Foundation and Church cite it as an experience that strengthens their commitment to each other
for an early morning of service in the kitchen. We engaged in food and to the social justice work that they do in the community through
preparation for the free meals that Glide provides three times daily to the ACE program.
McCarthy Center Co-hosts President of Ireland Mary McAleese
T
he Leo T. McCarthy Center was proud to co-host Irish President
Mary McAleese on Thursday, December 11 at USF. More than
600 people packed into the McLaren Complex to see President
McAleese receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters degree and
deliver a speech on “Ireland: Challenges and Opportunities in a Global
Community.”
President McAleese was awarded the honorary degree for her tireless
efforts to unify her country and promote peace throughout the world.
She spoke of building bridges in her homeland given the history and
troubles between Catholics and Protestants, and promoting reconcilia-
tion, justice, and equality throughout Ireland and the world. President
McAleese was born in Belfast and is the first person from Northern
Ireland to become the president of Ireland.
Her words were inspirational and encouraging to all the students,
staff, faculty, and administrators of USF as well as to the hundreds of
Irish-American community members in attendance. Her visit to USF
was part of a weeklong trip throughout California, Arizona, and Oregon
promoting economic opportunities between the U.S. and Ireland.
To see video of the award ceremony and President McAleese’s speech,
visit: www.usfca.edu/stream/convocation. President of Ireland Mary McAleese addresses the audience.
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