Immersion Experiences
Are you interested in getting out of the “Saint Louis University bubble” to learn more about the injustices present in this country? Do you want to build community with fellow SLU students by engaging in meaningful conversations about faith and justice? Are you ready to discover how you are being called to work toward a more just world?
Spring Break Immersion Program
Through engaging in the pillars of community, spirituality, justice and solidarity, Campus Ministry Spring Break Immersion Program will challenge you to step out of your comfort zone in order to accompany people on the margins and to critically engage with the social injustices those people face — and to allow yourself to be radically transformed in the process.
Your immersion trip may last only a week, however, the knowledge you gain and the growth you experience will last long after that. Our program will continue to support and engage you in your ongoing efforts to work for justice in your communities and to stand in solidarity through practices of accompaniment and advocacy.
Applications for the 2026-2027 Immersion Program are open now and are due by Monday, Nov. 19, 2026. Contact Michael Schreiner at michael.schreiner@slu.edu with any questions.
Financial assistance is available for any student who wishes to participate in an immersion experience but would have difficulty paying the total cost. More details are provided in the application.
Our Immersion Program is limited to undergraduate students at this time.
Apply for the 2026-2027 Immersion Program
Trip Descriptions
This immersion is designed to help you see the world through the experiences, unique challenges and joys of someone with an intellectual or physical disability. You will spend a week with the First Light Community of Mobile, which provides homes and workplaces where people with and without disabilities share life as peers. You will serve with the community as a companion and helper, sharing meals, having conversations and accompanying members, and performing basic maintenance such as painting and cleaning in the houses themselves or at partner agencies.
Partner organization: First Light Community of Mobile
Student Leader: Naiyah Taylor
"Hi, my name is Naiyah Taylor (She/Her), and I am a junior studying psychology. I am thrilled to be the student leader on the Campus Ministry Immersion Trip to Mobile, Alabama in the spring of 2027! We will learn and live with the First Light Community of Mobile, a nonprofit organization whose mission is centered on sharing life together and celebrating diversity. We will host and consider meaningful discussions on the community’s history and impact. This trip opens the door of opportunity to expand your knowledge and perspective; we hope you will join us!"
At Saint Anne’s Mission on the Navajo Nation, we will immerse in service and education,
helping with manual work and visiting students at a Catholic school. You will learn
from some Navajos about life on a reservation today. There will be a focus on public
health-related issues, including substance abuse, diabetes and access to healthy food.
You will also experience the distinctive cultural richness of the Navajo people, including
their history, landscape, mythology and rituals, learning opportunities for solidarity
and accompaniment.
Partner Organization: Saint Anne’s Mission
Student Leader: Maya Tolentino
My name is Maya Tolentino and I am a junior studying neuroscience with a minor in healthcare ethics. I am so excited to be involved with the Immersion Program for the third year now. The Immersion Program has changed my life, offering me diverse perspectives, unique experiences, and even an impactful summer job opportunity. If you're willing to let Immersion change your life as well, please consider applying!
This immersion explores how crime impacts communities, what measures and policies
can help them heal, and our responsibilities to those who have hurt us. You will work
with Thrive For Live ministries. Some opportunities will be working in a food pantry, communal meals with formerly incarcerated individuals,
and visiting Rikers Island.
Note: You must be a junior or senior to be considered for this trip.
Partner Organization: Thrive for Life
Student Leader: Amanda Dougherty
Hi! My name is Amanda Dougherty and I’m a junior studying neuroscience and nutrition. I’m so excited to be involved with immersion for a third year! It’s truly been an amazing opportunity to grow in understanding of different communities and cultures, and I can’t wait to continue that learning this spring. We hope you’ll join us!
Step out of your everyday life — out of your comfort zone — and into in-depth, experiential learning and cultural immersion. The Border Immersion Experience is an opportunity to learn about the issues affecting the lives of people on the border. The program may include fellowship at El Paso-Ciudad Juárez fence, presentations at various social justice ministries, visit to Immigration Court, assisting with an after-school program, personal accounts of border life exposure to Mexican and Mexican-American culture, tours of colonias (rural settlements) in El Paso, daily reflections, and bilingual worship at Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey.
Partner Organization: Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey
Student Leader: Emily Amann
Hi, my name is Emily, and I'm leading the El Paso Immersion Trip this year! I am a junior studying political science and Spanish. I'm so excited to return to the community of El Paso and help other students experience the rich and vibrant community and understand the experiences of immigrants coming to the U.S.
Through this trip, you will examine the struggles and resilience of the people of Appalachia in southwest West Virginia. You will spend time in various sites in rural West Virginia, where you may attend presentations about alcohol and drug abuse, access to nutritious food, and the effects of environmental degradation due to industrial activities in the region, particularly coal extraction. You may also work with local agencies to gain a nuanced understanding of these issues through personal connections with patients in public health clinics and children in after-school programs. You will also learn about the struggle of coal miners in the early 20th century.
Partner organizations: Big Laurel Learning Center
Student Leader: Mia Doran
Hi! My name is Mia Doran and I’m a sophomore studying forensic science. I enjoyed my first Immersion trip so much that I had to come back for another. I hope everyone considers applying because it is truly such a fulfilling and amazing experience!
Immersion Board
The Immersion Board are students who have previously participated in the Immersion Program who assist with building the curriculum, organizing all of the large group meetings before our trips, and any other program-related needs.
Hi! I’m Rachel and I'm a senior majoring in public health with minors in Spanish and biology. I’ve had the opportunity to go to the First Light Community (formerly L’Arche Mobile) for two immersion trips, as both a participant and a student leader. Because of the Immersion Program, I found my love for working with people with intellectual disabilities, something I had no experience with prior to my first spring break trip. I continue to volunteer at L’Arche St. Louis and was able to work at First Light this past summer!
Hi y’all, my name is Elena Bruck! I’m a sophomore studying social work and criminal justice and criminology, with the intent to pursue an accelerated master’s degree. I’m from Wake Forest, North Carolina, and have an older sister who is a senior at North Carolina State University and a younger brother who is a senior in high school. I was raised in the Lutheran church, but my family has slowly started to lean more toward the Jesuit Catholic faith. I got involved with Campus Ministry last year by attending two fall retreats and an immersion trip to Mobile, Alabama, over spring break. I’m also involved in other campuswide organizations, including Dance Marathon, Habitat for Humanity, Residence Hall Honorary, and serving as a University Ambassador and Oriflamme Leader. I’m honored to serve on the Immersion Board this year, and I hope y’all have an awesome time on your trips! Please feel free to come say hi if you see me around campus; I’d love to meet you!
My name is Amelia Huebbe, and this will be my third year being involved in SLU Immersion Experiences. My first year, I traveled to the Navajo Nation; my second year, I traveled to the Bronx in New York City and learned about incarceration. These experiences have been eye-opening to me, as they have reaffirmed who I want to be during and beyond my SLU experience. This year, I will be serving on the Immersion Board for these trips. I can’t wait to meet everyone in the spring!
Hello, I'm Jason. I’m a junior majoring in psychology. I’m excited to be a part of Immersion Board and look forward to contributing to our team and community.