2019-2020 Student Leaders
Claire Jacobs
Major: Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Expected Graduation: Fall 2021
Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA
Immersion Leading: World of Hope for Street Children.
Why Immersions matter: Immersions matter to me personally because they are learning experiences you can't get in the classroom. Immersions encourage me to think first with observation and empathy instead of trying to immediately solve problems like we are expected to in the classroom. The bonds I made with my cohort and with the community members I met remind me to cherish interpersonal relationships.
Astha Guragain
Major: International Studies
Expected Graduation: Spring 2020
Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal and Cerritos, California.
Immersion Leading: World of Hope for Street Children.
Why Immersions matter: Immersions matter to me because they serve as a lens for USF students into aspects of the world that are new to them. It helps us contextualize our education while focusing on personal growth and community building as inherent parts of the academic process. By allowing students to understand the full scope of a foreign location's history, politics and current societies, immersions help students grow more knowledgeable and examine their place in the world.
Alondra Ramos
Major: Politics with a minor in Chicanx-Latinx studies
Expected Graduation: December 2020.
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois.
Immersion Leading: Migration and Transnational Communities
Why immersions matter: "My immersion trip to Mexico in my freshman year was an experience that has meant so much to me, and it is one of the most memorable moments that I have had at USF. Immersions matter because they allow us the opportunity to make deep and genuine connections not just to physical places around the world, but also with the people in those communities."
Hector Bustos
Major and Minor: Politics, Minor: Public Service & Community Engagement
Graduation year: May 2021
Hometown: Santa Ana, CA
Immersion Leading: Coal Mining and Environmental Justice.
Why Arrupe immersion Matter: As a politics major, I learn a lot about the issues communities in these areas face. Arrupe Immersions allow me to fully immerse myself in these communities and bring back information and personal experiences to the classroom.
Yesenia Bonilla-Cardenas
Major: Latin American Studies major
Graduation year: May 2021
Hometown: Denver, CO, and Maravillas, Zacatecas (Mex)
Immersion Leading: Restorative Justice and Migration.
Why Immersions Matter: Immersions offer the opportunity to see the issues of the world through the lens of personal stories, seeing people work together and it’s an experience that supersedes studying from afar (while that is important as well).