Five rising seniors from Pace High School (Pace) were selected to participate in St. Thomas University’s STU IMPACT summer immersion program.
Lauren Aponte, Nathan Bonet, Juselie Derice, Arianna Martinez and Fabia St. Juste represented Pace among a group of 40 other high school students from the State of Florida for the eight-day experience.
During the week, the students resided on STU’s campus and explored college life through theological education, prayer, worship and hands-on service activities.
The group participated in an ecological beach cleanup at Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park in Dania Beach where they learned about the park’s history and environmental issues.
They also traveled north to Immokalee to engage with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, an internationally recognized organization that promotes the rights of immigrant farm workers.
STU Impact was established in 2015 through a grant to the university, and it seeks to encourage young people to explore theological traditions, ask questions about contemporary moral issues and inspires them to examine how their faith calls them to lives of service.