Buffalo, NY – Canisius University students immersed themselves in New Orleans’ educational landscape during a transformative winter break service trip that challenged their understanding of education, social justice and community resilience. Co-sponsored by Campus Ministry and the Teacher Education and Leadership Department, the trip focused on New Orleans’ education system and its recovery following Hurricane Katrina, which severely damaged or destroyed 110 of the city’s 126 public schools.
“The trip exemplified how Jesuit values shape the educational experience,” says Marya Grande, PhD, professor and chair of the Teacher Education and Leadership Department. “It’s about more than learning. It’s about understanding our broader responsibility to community and social justice.”
During the trip, students volunteered at four schools within the Crescent City School Network. They examined how the education system adapted to profound challenges and learned about the complex social injustices that affect school systems, including poverty, homelessness, food insecurity, institutional racism and the criminal justice system.
“This trip gave me an excellent opportunity to see the educational environment in a city that is quite different from Buffalo,” says adolescence education major Connor Smith ’26. “One of the unique components of the New Orleans' education system is that there are no public school districts and instead public charter networks and private school options. In speaking with the administrators at each school, I was able to understand the challenges they face with balancing the influx of student needs with the resources they have available.”
Many participants, who began student teaching this semester, reflected on how they will apply their new insights in the classroom.
“My teaching and engagement practices broadened as my understanding of educational challenges and relationships has deepened,” reflects adolescence education major Eamon Wallace ’25. “Through this experience, I was able to see, firsthand, how valuable those relationships are, as well as the power of teachers motivating one another.”
“One of the biggest takeaways I had in terms of teaching pedagogy is the idea of the ‘no-nonsense nurturer,’ adds Smith. “The idea is that teachers should be middle-ground and neutral when it comes to disciplining. This opened my eyes because I worry about finding balance in classroom management. I feel empowered to come back to Buffalo and use this passion and determination to make a difference no matter where the school is that I will work.”
In addition to their work in the classrooms, students visited Whitney Plantation, which offered an unfiltered perspective on historical injustices, examining slavery through the lived experiences of those who were enslaved. They also heard from Annie Phoenix, PhD, executive director of the Jesuit Social Research Institute at Loyola University, New Orleans, who led a discussion on prison reform. Phoenix was the co-founder of Operation Restoration, a nonprofit organization that supports current and former incarcerated women and has established a similar college in prison program with Loyola University. She has also authored state and federal legislation to restore the Pell grant for incarcerated students.
The Teacher Education and Leadership Department is housed within Canisius University’s School of Education and Human Services, which is also home to the departments of Counseling and Human Services, Kinesiology and Physician Assistant Studies. The school offers eight undergraduate majors, 27 graduate programs and multiple certifications, extensions, and advanced certificates of study.
Canisius was founded in 1870 in Buffalo, NY, and is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the Northeast, Canisius offers undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional programs distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration, mentoring and an emphasis on ethical, purpose-driven leadership.
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