Another member of Seattle Prep’s Alumni Service Corps (ASC) program is Ms. Bocek. Ms. Bocek was part of the class of 2019 at Prep. She has been at Washington State University for the past four years where she double majored in Psychology and Human Development. She helps in the community ministry department where she helps teach Faith in Action with Mr. Mack and Ms. Aara. Ms. Bocek also coaches the Crew team in weightlifting.
One of her bigger roles is being part of the many retreats that Prep has to offer. She has already helped with senior pilgrimage. She plans on helping with all three kairoses, Manresa, and the Freshman retreat. Her time at Prep with these retreats have influenced her involvement.
Bocek said, “I have had great retreat experiences which is what I think makes Prep so special even compared to other catholic schools. It’s really fun being a part of this and being able to give students a meaningful experience too.”
Bocek’s educational background helps her connect with high school students especially. She practices a holistic approach to education that helps students grow not only academically, but personally too.
Mr. Mack said, “Ms. Bocek is a master of helping people become better leaders, especially with listening to others. She’s amazing”
Since Bocek has been back, she noticed that students have become more disconnected from doing community service. While she was at Prep, going out and doing service was a big part of her curriculum but because of COVID, students haven’t been able to do that as much. She wants to bring back the importance of giving back to your community as it can have long-term impacts. Bocek chose to do Teen Link as part of her junior year service and she is still part of the crisis clinic today.
The ASC program has brought Bocek a lot of new perspectives before continuing her career in graduate school for marriage and family counseling. She has been able to gain a lot of real-life experience while working with teens as well as developing a new appreciation for teachers.
Bocek leaves students with some advice: “Get involved as much as you can. Go outside your comfort zone to gain new experiences and build new connections that you might not expect.”
