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35th annual Saint Vincent College Week brings 41 Crossroads Foundation scholars to campus

35th annual Saint Vincent College Week brings 41 Crossroads Foundation scholars to campus

by Public Relations | June 18, 2024

LATROBE, PA – Forty-one rising high school sophomores got an up-close preview of college life by becoming temporary campus residents June 9-12 through Crossroads Foundation’s 35th annual Saint Vincent College Week.

The program introduces Crossroads scholars to college-level coursework and the challenges of college social life. The high schoolers were housed overnight in the residence halls and mingled with SVC student mentors. They met with College administrators, faculty and counselors to explore their strengths and make informed decisions about their futures. There also was social time set aside for a picnic dinner, a bowling outing and a hike through the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve.Crossroads Foundation scholars and Saint Vincent student mentors pose outside the Basilica at the conclusion of Saint Vincent Week

“It definitely was better than I expected,” said Alex Reynolds, of New Kensington, who attends Central Catholic High School. “It helped me realize college is more than just going to lectures and doing your homework. Everybody here was welcoming. They eased us into the experience and this comfortable life they’ve built here at Saint Vincent.”

Saint Vincent has been affiliated with Crossroads since 1989, one year after the Pittsburgh-based foundation was founded. “What has been remarkable about our partnership with Saint Vincent is that we’ve had the flexibility to change what we do to meet the constantly evolving needs of the young people,” said Esther Mellinger Stief, executive director of Crossroads Foundation.

“Also, this is a safe place, which is important because we’re dealing with 14- and 15-year-olds,” Stief added. “It’s safe, it's contained, it's beautiful. It's very different from their day-to-day [lives]. We’re exposing these young people to what it means to be on a college campus. They’re here because we want them to picture themselves as a college student—to believe that they belong on a campus. This experience at Saint Vincent allows us to do that.”

Seven SVC students served as mentors: graduate students Dwight Collins, C’23, G 25, of Orlando, FL, and Adam Bosco, G 25, of Cape Coral, FL; and undergrads Logan Karvoski, C 26, of Fort Lauderdale, FL; Nick Peccon, C 26, of Uniontown; Dev Ostrowski, C 26, of Niantic, CT; Anastasiia Umrysh, C  25, of Lviv, Ukraine; and Marta Trembetska, C 26, of Lviv, Ukraine.

“By the last couple of days, the kids really were feeling comfortable with us and we were comfortable with them,” Trembetska said. “We were really talking and joking around. It was a great experience for me to know that I’m a leader, a mentor, but I’m also a friend.”

 

About Saint Vincent College

Saint Vincent is a Catholic, Benedictine college that offers a world-class education to students from all backgrounds. Our students learn skills and pursue deeper a deeper truth to live purposeful lives and discover their roles in transforming the world.

The College has more than 90 programs of study, including nine graduate programs. The 200-acre campus also is home to the Saint Vincent Archabbey and Basilica, the Fred M. Rogers Center and the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve. Saint Vincent sponsors 24 NCAA Division III sports teams and hosts the Saint Vincent Summer Theatre.

 

About Crossroads Foundation

Susie Gillespie, the daughter of Pittsburgh philanthropist Ed Ryan, established Crossroads Foundation in 1988 to send promising students with limited educational options to local Catholic high schools. The students have access to financial support, tutors and on-site counselors, college and job site visits, internship opportunities, college transition workshops and various programs designed to boost their academic success.

The first class of 11 scholars graduated in 1992. Within a decade, total enrollment exceeded 100 scholars. Crossroads celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2013 by solidifying its six host high schools: Oakland Catholic, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Central Catholic, Seton LaSalle, Serra Catholic and Bishop Canevin.

 

PHOTO: Crossroads Foundation scholars and Saint Vincent student mentors pose outside the Basilica at the conclusion of Saint Vincent Week

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