Just like Saint Augustine, the patron saint of Merrimack College, service has always been a primary focus for Jacob Symmes ’25.
As a youth, Symmes embarked on many service and mission trips, mostly working with the unhoused and providing hurricane relief. When it was time to enroll in college, he found Merrimack to be the perfect fit.
“During my first tour here, I had an amazing impression of (the campus)” he said. “It had a great program for me within the education field.”
Symmes is majoring in human development and services and plans on enrolling in the school counseling master’s program. Through the undergraduate program, he landed an internship with the New England Center for Children working with young adults with high-needs social or intellectual disabilities.
“I feel that (school counseling is) where my skills are best, working with younger audiences,” he explained. “I have a passion for helping them become who they want to be and I want them to move to a place where they’re comfortable and feel safe.”
During his time at Merrimack, Symmes has found a community within Grace J. Palmisano Center for Campus Ministry.
“They just really draw you in here,” he said. “They do a good job making those human connections and they’re just awesome people to be around. And I do like to connect with a spiritual part of myself in whatever way I find that to be in the present moment.”
Campus Ministry’s SEND program, the student-led service trip program, was a natural fit for Symmes. He has previously led two trips – one saw Merrimack students building beds and collecting firewood for underserved families in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, and the other, students delivered food to those experiencing homelessness in New York City.
“Every night, there is reflection that we have prepared,” he explained. “We discuss what went on that day, how we can connect it to our lives and what we’re doing to fight for others. We invite everybody in to understand our biases and find where things might cause tension.”
Now, Symmes is getting ready to lead his third trip this spring in Chicago.
“We’ll be working to understand the issues of injustice there and why people are where they are,” he said. “I’m looking forward to meeting my group. It’s always fun to add some new strangers to your circle.”
