Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico Service Immersion Trip works alongside Colegio San Ignacio, the Jesuit High School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, rebuilding homes of families destroyed by Hurricane Maria. This program helps students encounter those living on the margins, allowing them to experience their struggles and their hopes. Students also work with Estudio Vietnam, an after school educational facility for families living in Vietnam, Puerto Rico, a community or barrio located on the coast of Guaynabo and Cataño. Here students learn about the effects of gentrification and tourism on communities surrounding San Juan and the importance of local organizations such as Estudio Vietnam in helping rebuild and sustain Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Lastly, students work with Casa con Causa, an environmental group in Vietnam, PR that seeks to help rebuild natural wetlands surrounding Puerto Rico. Here students are able to learn of the importance Puerto Rico’s ecosystem has in maintaining the integrity of the island while also learning how human interaction, as well as Hurricane Maria, have impacted that ecosystem.

Prayer, Service and Community standas the three pillars of this program. The group stays at Casa Cristo Redentor, a retreat center in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico. In the evenings and on the weekends, students are invited to build community with those they have met along with each other, reflect upon their experience, and learn more about the culture of the area.