Jenks Leadership Program

Time of COVID-19: A Semester Lost?

On March 11, Jenks students were on their way to the cultural competency workshop when they received the news that they needed to pack up their rooms and leave campus by the end of the week. That email from Father Leahy signaled that all Jenks activities scheduled for the remainder of the semester were essentially cancelled. For a program that is steeped in togetherness, teamwork, networking, and family bonding, how could we possibly continue in a virtual platform, which is rather cool, but seemingly impersonal? And more importantly, with the worry and uncertainty of the effect of COVID-19 on ourselves and our families lurking in the background?

In the weeks following, as we started to get used to what would become our new normal, things began to fall in place.

In the true spirit of Jenks, Jenks students reached out to their communities to find ways to serve and help those in need as they navigated the realities of the pandemic. Here you can read about some of the activities that Jenks students engaged in. Additionally, we were able to run a few workshops via Zoom for both the Jenks Class of 2020 and 2021, which turned out to be quite engaging and fun. For the Class of 2020, the teams regrouped and pivoted or reimagined their service projects and presented them via Zoom in April on what would have been their Jenks graduation day. Of course, due to the pandemic, most of the projects were not fully executed. However, Jeeval Mehta ’21 (Jenks Class of 2019) and Bijoy Shah ’22 (Jenks Class of 2020), co-directors of the Jenks Student Advisory Council, will serve as mentors to the teams to make sure that projects are completed within the next school year.

Other notable mention:

Jenks Class of 2019 alum Czar Sepe found a need in his hometown. Read here.