College Corps Students Embark on Transformative, Impactful Journey

Hundreds of students were listening, as Chief California Service Officer Josh Fryday described the journey they were about to embark upon.

As members of College Corps, he said, they are going to make long-lasting relationships, find their calling, and lift up their communities.

As members of College Corps, they are the authors of our future.

With that, the students stood up with their hands raised, and pledged to make a difference, kicking off the experience. It was part of the ceremony that ushered in USD’s latest College Corps cohort.

The initiative, launched in 2022, provides students with $10,000 a year in exchange for 450 hours of community service in the areas of K-12 education, food insecurity, climate change, and community health.

President James T. Harris III, DEd, was on-hand to welcome the new cohort and set them off on their journey. He talked about how the work of College Corps matches closely with the mission of USD, to create Changemakers.

“It fits perfectly with what we do and what we’re about,” he said. “College Corps is more than a program. It is a movement preparing a generation of leaders to imagine and create a world that works for us all, that is healthier, more sustainable and more just.”

USD is one of dozens of California campuses where students have heeded the call, and in the three years since USD joined the program, Toreros have already made a huge impact.

Heading into the Fall semester, more than 400 students have participated, completing more than 180,000 hours of community service in San Diego and providing more than $4 million in financial assistance to USD students.