“I am amazed, yet not surprised, that almost all of my best friends here on campus were fellow LTS participants. I can honestly say that I cannot imagine what my life here at WU would be like had I not done LTS.”

- Taylor Johnson ‘12

“LTS had a great impact on me and has pushed me to continue doing community service at WU. The leaders made me feel right at home when I first moved on campus, and the entire program set the tone for my freshman year.”

-Maxwell Walker ‘12

“LTS was the best possible way for me to start my experience at WU.”

-Marissa Barnathan ‘12

“My LTS experience has been one of the best experiences of my freshman year. Not only was it fun and exciting, but it was eye-opening and inspiring.”

-Oli Ononye ‘12

“LTS had a profound effect on the start of my career at WU. This past summer I decided to do LTS simply to get a head start in my new environment. What I got was much more.”

-Chris McLamb ‘12

“I want to be an LTS counselor that can excite the students about the prospects of the next four years in St. Louis , while simultaneously inspiring the students to rise to the challenges that our city faces.”

-Achal Upadhyaya ‘12

“LTS enabled me to have a smoother transition into the WU community.”

-Desiree Thomas ‘12

“LTS was the perfect initiation into community service life at WU because the program did a great job at informing us of all the great opportunities provided at WU to serve on and off campus.”

-Desiree Thomas ‘12

“LTS was a great introduction to Saint Louis that provided the foundation for me to explore the city on my own and enlighten others and myself to the Real Saint Louis . ”

-Caitlin Lutsch ‘12

“LTS inspired me to stay involved in the problems facing communities around Saint Louis and encouraged me to pursue my passion for community involvement and education.”

-Caitlin Lutsch ‘12

“LTS allowed me to explore St. Louis in all the ways I really wanted to.”

-Preethi Kembaiyan ‘12

“LTS gave me my first impression of the city of St. Louis and of Washington University . It introduced me to the broadened community service options that I now have in college. It was also the first event that I participated in at WU and it was where I met some of my closest friends today.”

-Stephen Johnson ‘12

“Aside from allowing me to meet some of my future classmates and make new friends, LTS allowed me to immerse myself in service before the start of classes.”

-Nick Garzon ‘12

I cannot imagine what my Wash U experience would have been like had I not participated in LTS.  I met my core group of friends during LTS and developed a sense of confidence about Wash U that I would not have been able to have without the friendships and bonds that formed before orientation.

-Madeleine Pannell '11

I also met a core group of best friends through LTS, and I do not think it was coincidental.  I think that I have stayed so close with my LTS group because we have fundamental similarities in our personalities.  They are caring, exuberant people, excited to go out into the community and take action.

-Merrill Rudd '11

I can think of no better introduction to Washington University than the Leadership Through Service program.  Through LTS, I learned that “giving back” shouldn't confine itself to helping out in shelters or volunteering for a day; it should be a lifelong effort.

-Colleen Brady '11

Not only did LTS educate me and motivate me to make community service a bigger part of my life, it also helped me with the transition to college.

-Eve Samborn '11

Before I went to LTS, I was like most college-bound kids in that I did community service but often without reason.  I looked at service as hours spent, rather than hours given.  LTS helped me realize what an effect I had on the community and all the ways that I could help others.

-Nathanial Regenold '11

Throughout my life, I have always been very involved in community service, so I joined LTS in order to continue my service and extend it to the St. Louis community.  I did not realize how much I would learn during the few days of LTS this year.

-Heather Brown '11

Leadership Through Service is one of the most memorable moments in my freshman year.

-William Shim '11

As well as inspiring me to continue community service, LTS also eased my apprehensions about beginning college.  It allowed me the opportunity to take advantage of the knowledge of mentors who calmed my anxieties.  I also found solace with the people of my team who were enduring the same pressure, stress, and excitement.  I continue to hang out with this group of friends regularly

-Jenna Kaufman '11

Coming from a small high school, I thought I would be overwhelmed from the sheer number of people I encountered.  Through LTS, I had the chance to meet a smaller group of people in a great environment and to meet people who had similar interests as me.  Although adults keep telling me that I probably won't stay close with the first people I meet in college, at this point I can't imagine that happening with my friends from LTS.

-Caitlin Astrue ‘10

I love the atmosphere of LTS because everyone is there because they love community service as much as I do and they are committed to making a difference.

-Laura Banks ‘09

Through LTS…I reignited my passion for helping others and was able in an unique way to explore the true St. Louis and find out what I'm able to do to become involved in it.

- Seth Caplan ‘10

LTS was an important experience for me to learn about myself while helping others."

-Cara Clure ‘10

My experience with LTS was incredible!  In addition to being a fantastic opportunity for me to meet other freshman and develop a social network before orientation, LTS encouraged me to get involved at WashU and even gave me recommendations as to where to start.

-Dana Cooper ‘10

I really enjoyed my time spent in LTS and I'm excited about being able to give someone else the same experience that I had.  Maybe even better!

-Robyn Cooper ‘10

I had a fantastic experience with LTS.  IT provided me with an opportunity to meet many new people and get a foot in the door with regards to service at Washington University, before orientation even began.

-Hannah Costigan-Cowles ‘09

LTS completely changed my perspective.  Instead of viewing living near such an underprivileged city as something to be avoided, it turned into another huge positive of attending this university.

-Eric Duffy ‘10

LTS was a perfect WashU greeting, not only because of the chance to get a footing before orientation started and explore volunteer opportunities in St. Louis, but because it introduced me to my amazing fellow participants and classmates.  I was wowed by my fellow LTS-ers.  I was inspired by other students, with incredibly diverse experiences and world views, all of whom had somehow ended up where I was.  It was through experiencing the beginning of college with these incredible people that I developed the excitement and enthusiasm that carried me into the start of the year.

-Deva Estin ‘10

I came to St. Louis knowing that I wanted to be involved in service, knowing that it would keep me centered.  But it is easy to forget, to be blinded by all the opportunities here, and forget the rest of the world does not live quite as comfortably.  LTS welcomed me to St. Louis in its entirety, and reminded me why I am here.

-Danielle Hayes ‘10

Being around such enthusiastic, motivated, social-justice minded individuals further heightened my interest and excitement in participating and leading in that realm of Washington University's community.

- Julie Hess ‘09

Moments of confusion and anxiety inherent to college transition were alleviated by the schedule of community service and activities planned for each day.  I felt that the balance between work, serious discussion, informational meetings, and fun was perfect.

-Natalie Kress ‘10

LTS has brought me good friends that somehow, even today, I feel like I have a “special connection” with them- after all that we've been through. Its just 3 days. But it sure felt like a lot longer than that.

- Alwyn Loh ‘09

LTS was an amazing experience as well as a great way for me to start my year off at Washington University.

- Regis Murayi ‘10

Leadership through service was the best possible way that I could have imagined beginning my life here at Washington University.  My memories of LTS serve as a constant reminder to me that WashU is not the bubble that it can appear to be, in fact, it is a very prestigious university in the midst of a world where is there is much service to be done.  If we, at this university, open more eyes to the world surrounding us, we can truly make a difference.

-Gilian Rappaport ‘10

LTS really put me outside of myself.  Having that experience right off the bat was an excellent way to start college, and I think made me much more open to the new encounters and people I found my first few weeks following LTS. 

-Anna Spelman ‘10