"Student Programs for Urban Development, otherwise known as “SPUD,” became a home for me. It is one of our largest student organizations on campus with about 600 students participating in any given semester. We partner with around 50 different locations or “sites” within the city of Worcester, and spend anywhere from one to three hours volunteering every week.
Being a freshman was overwhelming. It was difficult balancing moving away from home, finding a new group of friends, managing schoolwork and obviously doing my own laundry. Serving my community wherever I am is something that has always fulfilled me, and the opportunities to continue that drew me to Holy Cross. At the SPUD Recruitment Fair in early September, I immediately signed up for a site called Parsons Hill Rehabilitation and Nursing Home. It seemed like the perfect fit that combined my passion for medicine and my drive to give back to the city. I can’t clearly recall the first time I visited, but I remember being afraid. This rehabilitation center was nothing like the healthcare facilities in my hometown. Many residents complained about the lack of care and inattentiveness of the staff. The patient population didn’t encapsulate a nursing home in the slightest. Many patients suffered from homelessness, drug abuse, and very few had contact with their immediate family. I had never seen anything like it.
As time passed, I grew more accustomed to the environment. I became close with some of the patients, and even learned some of their favorite card games. Week after week, I looked forward to 3:30 on Thursdays where I would spend an hour at this place that somehow grew a special spot in my heart. Toward the end of my first year, applications to become a Program Director opened up. Program Directors are responsible for coordinating site visits, maintaining attendance and communicating with SPUD interns and site contacts. I immediately applied, and was elated when I was offered an interview. Sitting in the airport after Easter break, I received the email that I was offered the position.
Starting my sophomore year, I became the Program Director for the Parsons Hill site. I had to move in nearly a week early for training, and the responsibilities were overwhelming at first. As I learned how to balance my new role, I fell in love with my site all over again. I had the opportunity to meet other students that I otherwise wouldn’t have met, and I was proud of my little community I had created.
Writing this as a junior, I hold so much gratitude for SPUD as a whole, and Parsons Hill. I’ve become a self-proclaimed granddaughter of some of the residents, and nothing brings me more joy than hearing their “hello’s” when we walk through the door, and the smiles on their faces. I owe a large part of my college experience to this program. It has given me the privilege to experience Worcester in a different way and has given me some of my closest friends."
