Having attended a Jesuit High School, Arianna Esposito ’12 is quite familiar with two of St. Ignatius’ core ideals, the magis and cura personalis. Upon successful completion of her undergraduate coursework, the junior psychology major and autism studies minor intends to study applied behavioral analysis in preparation to provide ‘more’ ‘care’ for each ‘person’ she serves coping with autism.
Having allowed Saint Joseph’s University’s creed of service to resonate with her and take root, the New York native has been an active Kinney Scholar for the past two semesters and is proud of her many months of care for those who are different. “Being a Kinney Scholar is much more than a job, it’s an opportunity to passionately serve those who are in need and I can’t imagine doing anything else,” says Esposito.
As a participant in this past summer’s Camp Kinney and a Kinney Center Afterschool Social Skills Program mentor, Arianna describes her work at the Kinney Center as life changing. “Words cannot express how thankful I am for the children I work with,” she states. “It has shaped my entire college experience; it is because of the Kinney Center that I want to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Amazing things are happening at the Kinney Center and I’m so happy to be a part of it.”
Opened in the fall of 2009 through a generous donation from Paul ’70 and Margaret Hondros, The Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support at Saint Joseph’s University provides multi-disciplinary education and research opportunities for students, teachers, professionals and parents who seek to improve the quality of life for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
The Kinney Center is changing the lives of not only current students like Arianna, but for children, families and educators throughout the Delaware Valley. At SJU, innovative programs like the Kinney Scholars program and Camp Kinney are made possible through the support of donors to the Saint Joseph’s Fund – to impact a current student, visit development.sju.edu and make a gift online today.
- Zack Monroe ’12