ARISE Proves Inspiring, Impactful and Eye-Opening for Merion Mercy Students

For the second consecutive year, a group of Merion Mercy Academy rising seniors traveled to South Texas in June for a Mercy Immersion experience with ARISE Adelante: A Resource in Serving Equality. Based at the Las Milpas Center in Pharr, Texas, the students spent their days leading a summer camp for local children, organizing games, sports, crafts, and other activities that fostered fun, friendship, and learning.

Beyond their work with the children, the students participated in a variety of educational and service experiences that deepened their understanding of immigration, poverty, and the resilience of the communities they encountered. Highlights included hearing an ARISE member share her personal immigration journey, visiting residents at a local nursing home, sharing lunch with a local family, and touring La Posada Providencia, a long-term shelter that provides hospitality and support to immigrants. Each evening concluded with dinner and reflection alongside the Sisters of Mercy and students from other Mercy schools, providing time to process the day's experiences and connections.

Founded by a Sister of Mercy in 1987, ARISE Adelante empowers residents of low-income communities in South Texas to build brighter futures for themselves, their families, and their neighborhoods. As the organization explains, "Through education, resources, and support, ARISE provides these communities with the foundation to achieve their life goals."

The immersion participants included rising seniors Annalise DeAngelis, Emma Dolan, Molly Dougherty, Avery Fosbenner, Hannah Griffin, Anna Kane, Lyla Otis, and Rachel Sheibley, accompanied by faculty chaperones Hayley Kazlauskas and Christine Callahan.

Describing the experience, Molly wrote, “The connections I made with the other Merion girls and the kids we were leading shocked me, and will last in my heart forever. The experience pushed me out of my comfort zone and I grew immensely from it. The cultural difference and service we completed taught me so much about different communities and our call to community.” 

Emma was similarly impacted, describing Arise as “inspiring, life changing, and eye-opening,” particularly around the subject of immigration.

Merion Mercy's Mercy Immersion experiences reflect the school's commitment to Live Mercy, Seek Justice, inviting students to step outside their comfort zones, encounter people whose experiences differ from their own, and return home with a deeper understanding of compassion, solidarity, and service.