Telephone:
216-397-4698

Testimonials from JCU Students

"Cultivating Community isn't giving to others, but rather working with others. This project was not the students learning from the professors, or even the residents learning from the students-it was the community learning from each other. As Dr. Ortega mentioned in her lecture, every person is oppressed in his/her own way; we were able to overcome our oppression as we went into Hough on April 23. I learned and observed more in one day than I would have in any other class."
Jenna Zone '05

"I think the area I was significantly impacted by was Dr. Ortega's lecture on Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed.Before her lecture, I have never thought I the way Freire believed. I think it would be an amazing experience trying to implement his ideas. It would be difficult but everything is in the beginning. Places like Famicos and Hough need more than a day of gardening. They deserve a lifetime of opportunities."
Maggie Wainwright '05

"Dr. Ortega['s lecture] changed a lot of our views; we were not just going in to move some dirt and plant some flowers, but to move people's souls and plant hope. The most important thing I learned all semester was simply this: People are what bring about change. Not lobbying, not money, not investments, but people. Without them, there is nothing. We brought about quite a change, something I do not believe anyone would have thought of, at least to the degree of which we did. Not only was the neighborhood changed, but so were we. I made new friends, renewed old friendships, and learned that only by working together can we achieve anything."
Bryan Pinta'05

"It would seem fitting that I would end my time at this Jesuit University taking a class about service to others.I have learned just as much in this class and have been equally served by those I have met. I hope that others have the change to learn this real life lesson before their time at John Carroll is ended as well. It's almost sad that it took me this long to learn these lessons.

Twenty years from now, I will most likely not remember the exact lines to Hamlet's soliloquy, the gross domestic product formula, or what the date was when Napoleon finally conquered France ; I would bet a lot though that I will remember Mr. Brown . [t]hese are the images that will forever be imbedded into my mind. And that is what a Jesuit education should accomplish."
Maura Nagel '05

"Not only have I learned several pieces of what makes an urban community what it is, I have also gained an understanding of the importance of a community garden. I had a hard time understanding what good a garden can do for a neighborhood. However, now I understand. The garden can bring the community together. Mrs. Thomas told me how she grows vegetables and gives them to her neighbors. She builds community everyday she shares the produce, even when they do not come out and help her, because she makes the effort to show she cares.there are the benches so people can sit and talk, resting while gardening. Thus, they can get to know one another better and strengthen their community.the garden is just one effort to cultivate community, but I was proud to be a part of it."
Katie Bretz '05