Serving from the Heart LLC

Serving from the Heart Living & Learning Community is a service-learning focused group of SHU students who are dedicated to being a positive force for social justice and equality. This LLC builds on Sacred Heart University’s commitment to service by providing a yearlong residential experience for which students earn academic credit.

This program is committed to working closely with faculty, community leaders and other students to help students in this community proactively understand and address issues of inequality and social justice within the local Bridgeport community, as well as in communities that reach beyond our borders. Central to the principal aim of this learning community is providing a space where SHU students can support each other as they engage disenfranchised communities through service learning, critical reflection and scholarly inquiry.

As part of this community, students live with others who share their interest in social justice; have opportunities for personal, academic and occupational development while living in their residence halls; and connect with faculty and local community members who help students develop their interests in advocacy. Students will be expected to attend at least five weekly events each semester.

Through participation in this LLC, students will learn to:

• Connect individual experiences to larger systems of social justice
• Identify systems of inequality in society and their consequences
• Make connections between experiences of marginalization in local and global communities
• Identify major social justice challenges in local communities
• Be a successful advocate for social change

The ideal student for this LLC is one who:

• Has a strong interest in social justice and community service
• Is interested in fostering this interest through a living community
• Wants to build relationships with faculty outside of the classroom

This LLC is open to first-year students of all majors. It is particularly well suited to students looking to enter a profession in social work, nonprofits, community organizing, law and education. You will have opportunities to meet with professionals in these fields and build your resume through service in these fields.

Cost

$350 per semester

How to Apply

Complete the online application by June 20, 2025. Students must also do the University Housing Application. We are looking for students who are enthusiastic and excited to join the LLC program.

More Information

For more information on the Serving from the Heart LLC, contact:

Annie Johnson
Director of Community Engagement
johnsona21@sacredheart.edu 

Lisa Smith, Psy.D.
Psychology
smithl13@sacredheart.edu

For more information on housing, contact:

Greg Madrid
Director of Residential Life
203-371-7967
madridg@sacredheart.edu