PSIP Serves Up Welcome to Incoming Freshmen
More than 170 incoming freshmen joined the Saint Joseph’s community a week early for the Philadelphia Service Immersion Program (PSIP), an early move-in program that integrates service work with exploration throughout the city.
Jordan Stern ’22 is one of five students, along with Kropp, who served at Urban Tree Connection, an organization that transforms abandoned spaces in marginalized communities into thriving urban farms and gardens.
More than 170 incoming freshmen joined the Saint Joseph’s community a week early for the Philadelphia Service Immersion Program (PSIP). An early move-in program, PSIP integrates service work with exploration throughout Philadelphia to welcome new students to the area.
Volunteer groups, each run by a student-leader, served at 28 local non-profit organizations, including Project H.O.M.E. and Broad Street Ministry. Facilitated reflection allows for a deeper understanding of the social justice issues at work in Philadelphia.
“While we’re serving, we’re also learning from the Philadelphia community,” says student-leader Nicholas Kropp ’21, a food marketing major from Collegeville, Pennsylvania.
Rose Farrell ’22, who served at Urban Tree Connection, enjoyed a week of gardening, weeding and learning about the organization’s justice-focused mission.
“Urban Tree Connection grows produce and sells it at a cheaper rate for community members that couldn’t otherwise afford it,” says Farrell, a finance major from Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey. “It’s an entirely volunteer-run organization, full of people that live in this community. I know our small contribution this week has a big impact."
Each night of the five-day program ends with a faculty-led excursion into the city, including trips to the Franklin Institute and Eastern State Penitentiary.
“PSIP introduces freshmen to city life — even how to use SEPTA and navigate around the city,” says Kropp. “We welcome them to their home for the next four years.”