As a Jesuit university, there is a strong focus on community service at Marquette. Service is one of the four pillars in the university's mission statement. It also holds an important place in the Jesuit credos of cura personalis ("care for the whole person") and "women and men for others." Each year Marquette students perform about 189,000 hours of service to the Milwaukee community. The Center for Community Service, located under Student Affairs, coordinates the majority of the student volunteer community service efforts. The Service Learning Program, which began in 1994, is a separate unit, housed within the Office of the Provost as part of the Center for Teaching and Learning, and coordinates community-based learning experiences within courses across the curriculum.
Kim Jensen BohatAs a Marquette student who benefited from doing service learning, I watched as the text, philosophies and research I read for my classes became real, feasible and concrete. As a teacher in an alternative high school who used service learning, I watched as my students were moved, challenged and changed by their service experiences. As an agency staff member who supervised service learners, I watched as my clients got the extra attention that they so desperately longed for and deserved.
Now as the director of the program, I get to watch it all, as well as supervise to make sure the program continues to make a difference. These experiences helped shape who I am today, and I continue to find fulfillment and passion in service. I would not be happy in a position that offered any less.
I am a double graduate from Marquette, receiving my bachelor’s degree in Criminology & Law Studies in 2017 and my master’s degree in History in 2021.
Originally from Chicago and a graduate of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, service has impacted my career in a variety of ways. As an undergraduate student, I was involved in multiple service oriented opportunities and participated in Service Learning as a service learning student.
After graduating with my bachelor’s degree, I joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and, as part of my assignment, was sent to Albuquerque, New Mexico to work as a paralegal for the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center. After JVC, I worked as a paralegal for the National Immigrant Justice Center in Chicago before returning to Milwaukee for my graduate studies. The lessons and experiences as a Jesuit Volunteer, through my work, and as a student have helped shape who I am, and it is my hope that I am able to share these moments with Marquette service learning students.
Major: Elementary Education & Psychology
Major: Nursing
Major: Nursing
Graduate Student, Speech Language Pathology
Major: Nursing
Major: Psychology and Theology
Major: Business Administration
Major: Biological Sciences
Sanaa Judah, Student Coordinator
Major: Psychology
Major: Psychology and Criminology & Law Studies
Political Science and Spanish
Major: Communcation Studies and Public Relations
alyssa.ponder-bisping@marquette.edu
Major: Biomedical Sciences
