Service Immersion, Justice, and Community

What if a single week could expand your world—and reshape how you serve back home? We sit down with campus minister Sammy Eckrich and nursing student Kylee Foster to trace the arc of Detroit Mercy’s service immersion program, from building a ramp in Appalachia to standing beneath the steel columns of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery. The thread that ties it together is simple and demanding: service with, not for.

Kylee shares how a mindful, shared living routine—one mug all week, budgeted meals cooked as a team—turned daily choices into values in action. Working alongside community partners, she learned the crucial distinction between giving aid and practicing solidarity, a shift that now guides her approach to nursing, advocacy, and cross-cultural care. Sammy opens the curtain on how we design trips that go beyond manual work: strong partners who teach context, daily prayer and evening reflection that turn experience into meaning, and museum visits that immerse us in the living history of civil rights and the ongoing struggle for justice.

Together, we explore the program’s Jesuit and Mercy roots, the Mercy Critical Concerns, and the vocational “sparks” that often follow—students bringing their skills back to Detroit, reimagining majors through the lens of sustainability and data for good, and choosing careers with compassionate impact. Expect stories that are honest, grounding, and practical: what a typical week looks like, why relationships matter more than checklists, and how standing in the places where history happened changes how we show up today.

Ready to rethink spring break—and maybe your path? Listen, subscribe, and share with a friend who’s curious about service, social justice, and meaningful travel. If this conversation moved you, leave a review and tell us: where should we go next, and what would you want to learn there?