Rose Haslbauer ‘18
"Being Vincentian also means having an open mind, going into a service activity with a sense of excitement, ready to accept and care for others. It’s about humbling yourself—the people we serve are our brothers and sisters in Christ, so they deserve our love and respect."
How did you first become involved with service at St. John’s?
I started participating even before I began my freshman year. I got an e-mail about the Rendu Service Experience, a service ‘plunge’ exclusively for first-year students. I signed up right away, and we began that August, volunteering at sites near the campus—a nursing home, a food pantry.
What other service activities have you pursued since that first experience?
St. John’s has so many service opportunities each week—I try to make the most of my free time to be involved. I’ve been in the Midnight Run Program, St. John’s Bread and Life, the St. Nicholas of Tolentine Afterschool Program. On University Service Day, I volunteered at the Queen of Peace Residence with Students for Life. I’ve continued to do service plunges: during spring break, I went on the one to Greensboro, NC. The variety lets you assist people from many different walks of life.
After all this, what does being Vincentian mean to you?
For me, it means being willing to reach out, to empathize with and pray for those in need. Being Vincentian also means having an open mind, going into a service activity with a sense of excitement, ready to accept and care for others. Lastly, it’s about humbling yourself—the people we serve are our brothers and sisters in Christ, so they deserve our love and respect.”
