June 14, 2018
From Providence to the Solomon Islands, students bring joy through service
Nineteen students from Providence College are participating in service through three fellowship and internship programs during the summer in Providence and around the world.
Nine were awarded Fr. Philip A. Smith, O.P. Student Fellowships for Study and Service Abroad. They will spend six weeks in Australia and the Solomon Islands, South Africa, Argentina, Nicaragua, and Zambia to learn more about the Dominican intellectual tradition and mission of service.
The program was established during the 2008-09 academic year through a gift from former trustee Katherine Tellier Murray ’83G and her husband, Thomas Murray. It is supported by trustees and other donors. The fellows, who are writing blogs about their experiences, are as follows:
Daniel Arteaga ’19 (Pawtucket, R.I.) and Thomas Heavren ’19 (West Springfield, Mass.) are in Honiara, Solomon Islands, working with Archbishop Christopher Cardone, O.P. ’80 & ’01Hon. and the Dominican Province of the Assumption. They also teach English and computer skills at a secondary school.
Grace Koonce ’20 (Chalfont, Pa.) is in Sydney, Australia, and Honiara, Solomon Islands, working with the Dominican Sisters of Eastern Australia and the Solomon Islands. She assists individuals with special needs at St. Lucy’s School and works with schoolchildren at the vicariate in Honiara.
Adrianna Perry ’20 (Monsey, N.Y.) is in Sydney, Australia, working with the Dominican Sisters of Eastern Australia at St. Lucy’s School, assisting individuals with special needs.
Luciana Borrelli ’20 (Derby, Conn.) is in Montebello, South Africa, to work with the Dominican Sisters of Montebello in the community high school. She also volunteers and offers support at the Vianney Children’s Home.
Emily Ascherl ’20 (West Orange, N.J.) and Julia Gaffney ’20 (Hampton Falls, N.H.) are in Tucumán, Argentina, working with the Dominican Sisters of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and teaching English to students in various grade levels.
John M. Murphy ’20 (Brunswick, Maine) is in Rivas, Nicaragua. He works with Rev. Carlos Aldana and the Dominican Friars at the Colegio Santo Domingo de Guzman School, teaching English and helping to develop environmental awareness.
Sophie Palopoli ’19 (Covington, La.) will travel to Ndola, Zambia, in July to work with the Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, assisting in the hospital and ministering to families in the village.
Five students were awarded the first Gallo Global Health Fellowships, established through a donation from Robert C. Gallo, M.D. ’59 & ’74Hon., and his wife, Mary Jane. The program will allow students to travel to work in clinical locations during the summer.
It launched this year with a pilot program in Ghana under the direction of Dr. Stephen J. Mecca ’64 & ’66G, professor of physics. The fellows worked in community clinics and at a refuge for people living with HIV/AIDs.
- Meghan Allen ’19 (Joliet, Ill.), a global studies major
- Samuel Jennings ’19 (Arlington, Mass.), a biomedical engineering major
- Shanik Morales ’20 (Philadelphia, Pa.), a biology major
- Madison Olenzak ’19 (Malvern, Pa.), a biology major and business studies minor
- Carlos Perez ’19 (San Juan, Puerto Rico), a biomedical engineering major
Five students each received a $4,000 stipend to intern with nonprofit organizations this summer through the Veritas Distinguished Internship program. The program was established in 2016 through a $300,000 gift from an anonymous donor. Student-interns are:
- Grace George ’19 (Raynham, Mass.), a double major in political science and English, is an outreach intern with Rhode Island for Community and Justice.
- Catherine Scarcella ’19 (Scarsdale, N.Y.), an education major with a business studies minor, is a summer intern at My Brother’s Keeper, a Massachusetts-based Christian ministry that delivers furniture and food to the needy.
- Elizabeth Sisk ’19 (Milwaukee, Wis.), a public and community service studies major with a minor in business studies, is a development intern with the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Rhode Island.
- Vanessa Maylor ’19 (Peabody, Mass.), a double major in political science and psychology, is an intern with the Essex Children’s Advocacy Center, part of the Essex County District Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts.
- Emily King ’20 (Essex Fells, N.J.), a marketing major and Spanish minor, is a special events intern with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
