May 13, 2019

Fr. Pedro Arrupe Scholars serve with communities in southern West Virginia & Louisville, Kentucky

  Monday, May 13, 2019 9:46 AM
  WU News

WHEELING, WV

Last week 16 WJU students and staff are living out Wheeling Jesuit University’s mission of serving with and for others as part of their formation in the Father Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Scholars Program. “The goal of the trips is to learn from people of different life experiences and to form our students into men and women for and with others that they may continue to live in this way after WJU in their families, workplaces and communities,” says Colleen Ryan Mayrand, Director of the Service for Social Action Center and coordinator of the Arrupe Scholars.  Sophomore Arrupe Scholars traveled to the coalfield region of Mingo County, West Virginia, to catch a glimpse of life for many state residents. They have engaged the community by assisting Able Families, Big Laurel Learning Center and other organizations. Participants include Marcus Jean Baptiste, Jake Kim, Christine Mellick, Jonathan Stodola, and Rachel Watson, with Colleen Ryan Mayrand.

The Junior Arrupe class is in Louisville, Kentucky, for an urban service experience. Students stay with Crossroads Ministry and spend time with community partners Catholic Charities, Americana, and Love City, Inc., getting to know refugees, including children, that have been resettled in the city. The group includes Anntasia Arias, Benny Corral, Candace Drzik, Dominic Oliver, Melissa Rios, Lindsay Scheffel, Christopher Smith, Lizzy Urbina, and Chelsey Ward, with Fr. Hadi Sasmita, S.J., Campus Minister.
The Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Scholarship is a service and leadership program designed to challenge students to become leaders on campus and in the community. As a scholar, doctor and priest, Father Pedro Arrupe, S.J. (1907-1991), as 28th Superior General of the Society of Jesus, was a champion for service to others and justice for all. Arrupe Scholars are taught skills to facilitate reflection, engage in advocacy work, lead their peers on service immersion trips and coordinate local service projects. Arrupe Scholars complete a minimum of 66 hours of service per school year, primarily at one site in the Wheeling area. Students engage in regular reflection regarding their service work in the community and participate in a year-end service immersion. As “men and women for and with others,” Arrupe Scholars are called to be leaders in service and academics, leaders on campus and in the community and leaders in solidarity and Ignatian spirituality.