Alum Service Corps (ASC)

The principal and integrating motivation of a volunteer in the Alum Service Corps (ASC) must be the desire to serve, that is, the desire to give a year of one’s life to students through full-time service in a Jesuit school.

The actual service takes shape in a number of ways, including: teaching, academic counseling and tutoring; pastoral activities (e.g., retreats and liturgy); service program activities; coaching and athletic training; student government projects; fine arts activities (e.g., music, theater, art); school publications; science and computer lab supervision; computer tech; development office and admission projects, even driving a bus. The possibilities are nearly endless.

Placements are made by matching the volunteer’s interests and abilities with the needs of the participating schools.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do ASC volunteers live?
ASC volunteers live in community with others in housing arranged by each high school.

In addition to their shared commitment of work within the schools, ASC volunteers commit themselves to community style-of-living that fosters mutual support and growth through the sharing of meals, reflection/prayer, transportation, and practical housekeeping responsibilities.

Each ASC community has a special bond to the local Jesuit community, whose Ignatian spirituality the volunteers are encouraged to incorporate in their work, their community, and throughout their lives.  On a weekly basis, ASC volunteer communities attend Mass, meals, and recreation with the Jesuit community.

What are the basic qualifications of an ASC volunteer?
► graduate of a Jesuit high school
► 21-28 years of age and unmarried
► college degree or significant work experience
► skills to meet the needs of the schools
► Christian motivation for service
► desire and ability to work and live with others
► flexibility and a sense of adventure
► energy, enthusiasm, and initiative
► willingness to make a one-year commitment

What are the benefits of ASC service?
► the privilege of meaningful service
► the challenge of simple, community living
► support for personal discernment and development
► opportunity to explore deeper spiritual life
► opportunity to test service-focused career
► opportunity to reflect on future goals
► room and board
► health insurance
► a monthly stipend
► shared use of an ASC community car
► travel costs for ASC events
► valuable work experience

What about my student loans?
Most volunteers are able to obtain deferments for their loans. We can assist with completing the necessary paperwork.

When does all this take place?
The ASC volunteer year begins with a two-and-a-half-week period of orientation scheduled from mid-July to August. Although each school has slightly different dates for starting and ending, volunteers report to their schools in early August. The volunteer year ends with a retreat in early June.

Are there opportunities for spiritual development?
Personal growth in spirituality is a pillar of the program. ASC volunteers gather three times throughout the year for retreats. These retreats take priority over all other school commitments, and provide a time for reflection on service in the light of prayer and Ignatian discernment.

Through the course of the year ASC volunteers become familiar with the fundamentals of Ignatian spirituality, particularly St. Ignatius’s guidance on discerning life decisions.

May I choose the school where I would like to serve or return to the school from which I graduated?
We consider the applications based on the needs of the schools, the qualifications of the applicant, and the applicant’s own desires. Volunteers are placed in five schools throughout the province (St. Louis, Kansas City, and Denver). Each school offers a unique ASC experience.