Thirteen Reasons to Submit Your Application to JVC

Here are thirteen reasons to submit your application to JVC and become a Jesuit Volunteer today:

1. “If you’re ready to stop learning about injustice through sitting in a classroom and itching to do something about it, apply to JVC.”
-Saint Joseph’s University alumni, Anna Ryan (Boston 2014-15)

2. “JVC was an incredibly formative experience for me. Four of my community members and I have decided to continue living in an intentional community here in Nashville. My experience in JVC has provided me a lens through which I live, work, and advocate for social change that I am eternally grateful for.”
-University of Scranton alumni, Veronica Dress (Nashville 2012-13)

3. “JVC is an opportunity to immerse yourself in a new environment, new city, and new way of living. You learn about yourself and explore issues of faith and social justice all while making lifelong friendships.”
-College of the Holy Cross alumni, Matt Straface (Los Angeles 2014-15)

4. “True power is self-knowledge, self-control, peace in the present moment.  JVC can be a vehicle for this liberation; come meet the Spirit there!”
-Fordham University alumni, Peter Sanneman (South Dakota, 2012-14)

5. “I wanted to learn more about myself and other people by seeing through a different lens. JVC has truly changed my way of thinking about society and the problems we face today. My community has a great impact on this. They went from being complete strangers to my second family."
-Iona College alumni, Sheila Kearney (San Francisco 2014-15)

6. “You will grow.  Whether that's in your faith, professionalism, humility, empathy or another part of your character, I cannot tell you.  What I can say is that you will be challenged.  You will be challenged and supported through a journey to invest in yourself and to invest in others.  You will be challenged to find your voice knowing that not all languages contain words.  You will be challenged to love and be loved in a society that creates its own borders to it.  You will be dared to change.”
-Loyola Marymount University alumni, Taiga Guterres (Belize 2015-17)

7. “I applied to JVC looking for an opportunity to learn how to engage meaningfully in social justice work, throw myself into a new city and culture, and figure out what it meant to truly live out the principles that guide my life. JVC provided all of that, but more so it ultimately transformed how and why I interact with every person I know. Through my time in JVC, both at my placement and living in community, I discovered how I better want to live out my faith in this world, worked through what it means to live a life of radical love and unflagging compassion, and found a family of incredible individuals that at first I may not have expected to share much in common. JVC's four pillars weren't just guidelines for my year of service; they've become an integral part of how I choose to live intentionally in this world every day.”
-Georgetown University alumni, Mariah Bryne (San Diego 2014-15)

8. “I explored the tenets of community, social justice, spirituality and simple living in college, but it was my time in JVC when they came together. There was something about the life experience that integrated these tenets, and they continue to shape who I am.”
-Widener University alumni, John Green (Portland, ME 1994-95)

9. “You should apply to JVC if you are willing to take a risk and do the unexpected. I chose to spend a year of service in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in order to understand the hardships that so many of our neighbors face every day -- and to make a small difference in others' lives. Making the choice to work as a full-time volunteer, live simply, and be part of an intentional community is no small task, but it is absolutely worth doing. You should apply to JVC if you want to challenge yourself to grow, change for the better and make an impact.”
-University of Dallas alum, Clare Myers (Santa Clara 2015-16)

10. “My JVC experience informs my identity and has challenged me to interact with the world in a more meaningful way. In JVC, I had the rare opportunity to embrace a simple lifestyle in community, and I formed lasting relationships with people who enriched my experience. I never imagined the challenges I would face, the immense love I would feel, and the lifelong gifts I would receive from my clients, coworkers, and community.”
-Spring Hill College alumni, Caroline Starr (San Francisco 2014-15)

11. “I found true happiness in JVC. I helped others, discovered things about myself, and realized that friends come and go like waves of the ocean, but the true ones stay. Community members are there for life, they are not going anywhere.”
-Emmanuel College alumni, Laura Giannotti (Raleigh 2013-14; Los Angeles 2014-15)

12. “Applying to JVC is the best decision I could have made for myself. JVC exposes you firsthand to structural injustices in our society and allows you to gain a sense of awareness in a way that is unparalleled. The program will provide you a perspective that will be relevant no matter your future aspirations and a community of which you will always be a part!”
-College of the Holy Cross alumni, Anthony Russo (Berkeley 2014-15)

13. “JVC gives you the opportunity to truly live through your service and be genuinely affected by the new life you lead. While I was involved in community service organizations in college, JVC took my passion a step further: service was more than an activity, it became a way of life. Because of JVC, I had the opportunity to actively love and be loved by everyone I met and I'll be forever grateful for that experience.”
-George Washington University alumni, Beth Strader (Los Angeles 2014-15)