As students of Saint Francis High School, we are called to give back to our community through acts of service. In order to ensure that students develop relationships with vulnerable groups within their communities, Saint Francis requires Lancers to fulfill a certain number of volunteer hours that depends on their grade level. While the service requirement is great, it poses the question: are students truly committed to making a difference or are they simply filling out a requirement? I decided to find out.

I sent out a survey containing eight service-related questions to over sixty Lancers and analyzed their responses. The questions were as follows: For your service hours, what kind of volunteer work do you do? How many hours do you complete? Would you volunteer if it wasn’t a requirement? Do you enjoy volunteering? Do you volunteer somewhere that’s convenient to you? Do you struggle to complete your volunteer hours? Do you feel that the service requirements push you to go out of your comfort zone? Why or why not? What do you like or dislike most about volunteering? Explain what kind of volunteer work you do! Based on these multiple choice questions and short answer questions, I was able to collect some surprising data from the 38 responses I received. A significant portion of the respondees fulfill their volunteer responsibilities by working in education. Amongst seven other options, education was the most popular by an overwhelming margin of 34.5%. The smallest number of people partook in environmental or wildlife conservation and volunteering at homeless shelters.

Another surprising find was the amount of students who looked at the service requirements as an opportunity, rather than a requirement. Kunal Peela (’27) said, “I feel that the service requirements push me to actively find new volunteering opportunities instead of just sticking with ones that I have done previously. They serve as another source of motivation to find opportunities and volunteer at new places.” And those unlike Peela, who at first were more introverted and not ready to interact with their communities, gained newfound solace through volunteering. Sofia Farias (’27) exemplified this, saying, “I generally get nervous speaking to and meeting new people, so at first the service is quite nerve-wracking. However, after time passes, I find myself making friends and building connections with those I am volunteering with and with the people that I am helping.” According to the results, it appears that Saint Francis students have grown to enjoy serving others. 75.8% of those surveyed said that they regularly exceed the service requirements, 72.4% said they would volunteer if it was not a requirement, and 72.4% said they enjoyed volunteering. With Saint Francis’ service engagement, students are able to transform their community in new ways.

Something that stood out was the considerable number of students who preferred direct service. Lily Partridge (’27) shared about her direct service experience: “I like meeting people face-to-face the most! I normally participate in food distribution sites across the Bay Area which are farmers market style. I like getting to see the populations that I am serving and the gratitude for our work.” A vast majority of the respondees included the words “interacting,” “meeting,” and “connecting” in their responses. While food and school-supply packaging are essential practices, it is far more important for students to gain new skills and knowledge through hands-on experience. As stated in the Holy Cross Constitution, “We come not just as servants but as their neighbors, to be with them and of them.” To truly be “with them and of them,” Campus Ministry has decided to zero in on direct service this year. The better we can connect more Lancers to vulnerable populations, the greater we can grow as a school community.