By completing classes, trainings, immunizations and forms, freshmen participating in the NDBridge summer program are readying to embark on their eight-week immersive experiences.
Current sophomores were the first cohort to participate in the Center for Social Concern's NDBridge program after the summer service learning program and international counterpart transitioned to NDBridge in the fall of 2022. While the prior program was open to rising sophomores, juniors and seniors, NDBridge uniquely provides rising sophomores with the ability to travel to over 25 distinct locations in the U.S. and internationally with the goal of promoting justice and the common good. In preparation for their upcoming experiences, all NDBridge students are currently enrolled in a one-credit, eight-session supplementary course.
According to freshman Rhett deBlieux, the course allows students to discuss their sites and learn how to be a servant based in Catholic Social Teaching. deBlieux will be serving at Our Lady of the Angels in Humboldt Park, Chicago.
The spring semester course aims to equip the NDBridge cohort with the necessary skills and information for traveling to a new place and serving various communities. Because students travel in four-person groups, the course also serves to introduce group members to one another and allow them to connect before embarking on their trips.
“The first hour each week we have a guest lecturer where we focus on a different topic,” Joey Kozimbo said. “One week they brought in a mental health professional and another time we talked about how to perform research through observation and questioning. After that first hour, we have another hour to meet with our pod-mates that we’ll live with over the summer.”
Kozimbo will spend his summer in Boston with Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program. Beyond taking classes, students have to take various training courses, receive immunizations and obtain necessary visas.
“We’ve had to complete CPR training and an online travel course, as well as a few forms and emails to people we will be working with,” Aislinn Fernandes said. “We’ve also had to apply for visas and get health check-ups.”
Fernandes will work with people with disabilities in Vidya Sagar in Chennai, India. In addition, some students have been practicing the language of the country they will be visiting to better communicate with the people they are working with.
“I have been brushing up on my Spanish skills as we are going to a country whose primary language is Spanish, and I have to adapt to that,” Dani Tutani, who will be working with the Congregation of Holy Cross in Santiago, Chile, said. “I just need to prepare for the culture shock that will happen when I’m over there.”
Each group of NDBridge students also has a faculty mentor providing personalized advice and guidance prior to the trip. Makeda Gemechu will serve in Letterfrack, Ireland, the only NDBridge site in Europe.
“Since we are going to Letterfrack, our faculty member is from Ireland,” Gemechu said. “We met with him yesterday and he told us different things like the direction cars drive and which way to look before crossing the road. We are trying to cover as much ground as we can in such a short period of time.”
Although some were originally nervous to meet the other students at their site, many NDBridge students have been enjoying the opportunity to connect with their peers before the summer program begins.
“I was certainly nervous about the group I was going to get when I first got into the program, but I think I certainly got a good group,” deBlieux said. “Matthew, Angela and Mary Michael are three people that I likely would have never met if it hadn't been for NDBridge, and I am so glad that I have the opportunity to share this experience with them.”
NDBridge aims to push rising sophomores to find their purpose after adjusting to their first year of college.
“In the first class, I felt like spending an hour together was going to be awkward,” Kozimbo said. “I thought we’d run out of things to talk about. But, the hour was up, and we weren't even done talking. I definitely look forward to the class each week.”
Students participating in NDBridge will travel to their sites in late May and early June, depending on the location.
“The summer will be heavily focused on building the community in Humboldt Park through the Catholic Faith,“ deBlieux said. “I am excited to see how I grow and what I learn from this experience.”
