Global Opportunities

Start Here. Go Anywhere.

Since Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat founded the Society of the Sacred Heart in France in 1801, Sacred Heart has grown and expanded across the world. The Sacred Heart network now includes 25 schools across North America and nearly 160 schools internationally.

Our partnerships with Sacred Heart sister schools along with other domestic and international initiatives mean Duchesne students and alumnae are instantly part of an expansive, diverse network of of women.

Global Citizenship Certification

Duchesne Academy is thrilled to begin offering the Global Citizenship Certificate, guided by the global vision of Saint Madeleine Sophie, and embodied in the Sacred Heart Goals, in the fall of the 2024 – 2025 academic year.

While global education is a hallmark of all Sacred Heart education, those who adhere to the Certificate requirements to deepen and focus their global experiences in high school will be recognized at graduation and on their resume.

Students will come to discover and explore the complexities of the world, historical connections, and current issues:

Political
Environmental
Spiritual
Economic

Students must declare this track at the end of their freshmen year (or in this inaugural year, sophomores may also apply), and will remain on this track through graduation, with the successful completion of all requirements.

The GCC track features required courses, field trips within the Omaha area, and an emphasis on service hours in direct contact with refugee groups and other cross-cultural organizations. Students will also engage in a cultural immersion experience which can include domestic or international exchange at schools within the Sacred Heart network, or a virtual exchange with other Sacred Heart students around the world. We are committed to ensuring every student has financial access to these opportunities.

Sacred Heart Exchange

Students may apply to spend from two to four weeks attending another Sacred Heart school in Europe, Asia, North America, or Australia during the school year or over the summer.

Students consider their time as an exchange student as a transformative experience in their lives. Living with a host family from another Sacred Heart school allows them the unique opportunity to broaden their perspectives, experience life as a teenager in another country, and create lifelong friendships.

Annually, Duchesne Academy welcomes 10-15 Sacred Heart students from around the world. Duchesne students and their families can serve as hosts, fostering international friendships that last a lifetime.

Service Trips

Service is an integral component of Sacred Heart education and is actively promoted through Goal 3 “a social awareness that impels to action.” Service trips are an excellent way to integrate service and education while allowing students to gain real-world and travel experience. Duchesne offers a variety of school-sponsored service trips throughout the academic year and summer. Assistance for the costs associated with service trips is available through the Sr. Shirley Miller Travel Scholarship.

Service Scholarship Opportunities
ILAC program at Creighton University

Service Scholarship Opportunities

Sister Shirley Miller, RSCJ, Travel Scholarship:

The Sr. Shirley Miller Travel Scholarship is made available every January to assist students who want to participate in the many travel programs offered at Duchesne. Awards are given in early February and available for use on any school trip during the student’s years at Duchesne.

If you have questions about this travel scholarship contact Laura Hickman, Principal, at lhickman@duchesneacademy.org

ILAC program at Creighton University

Duchesne Academy has been partnering with the Institute for Latin American Concern (ILAC) at Creighton University for many years. The focus of the high school experience is to provide both a cultural immersion and service opportunity for students. Students stay at the ILAC Center in Santiago for a few days; they sleep in dorms and eat meals together in the cafeteria. Sample programming in Santiago includes visits to a museum, touring the city, volunteering at an orphanage or visiting a waterfall. They also learn a little about the political history in the Dominican Republic including Haitian/Dominican relations. However, the main focus of the trip is to spend time in a rural setting “campo” in the Dominican Republic. Students complete a service project which could be painting a church or planting in a garden. They live with host families and work alongside the villagers “campesinos” on the project. The most important part of this experience is the opportunity to build relationships across cultures. We hope that students leave the campo with a new awareness of the humanity that we share with our brothers and sisters in a developing country.

How did students sign up for the trip?

This trip typically takes place in the summer. At Duchesne, we invite students who will be rising juniors or seniors at the time of the trip to apply. They complete an application, and a committee selects the participants.

What is its purpose?

The purpose of the trip aligns with Goal 3 Criterion II of Sacred Heart Education: “Sacred Heart educators immerse students in diverse global perspectives, developing competencies such as critical consciousness, language facility, and cultural literacy.”

What made this one unique from year’s past?

We took 2 trips last year. One group travelled in June 2023. Mrs. Swanson and Mr. Holtmann chaperoned 14 students that included rising juniors and seniors. In February 2024, Mrs. Swanson and Mrs. McConnell took 12 seniors. This trip was an option for the required senior service-learning experience. However, we have decided to resume the program during the summer months only. During COVID, we suspended our participation, so the trip last summer was the first one since 2019.

How can students benefit academically and socially from traveling?

Students gain first-hand experience of living with a host family in a humble setting. Dominicans are known for their incredible hospitality and generously open their homes to our students. They practice Spanish and build relationships with their host families and each other. Students have described their experience as “life-changing.”

International Travel

Duchesne Academy offers educational international travel opportunities. Every other summer, a trip to France and Italy is available to students. This exciting trip, affectionately known by students as the “Fritaly” trip, is a two-week journey through Italy and France tracing the heritage and history of the Society of the Sacred Heart. Students travel to the birthplaces of St. Madeleine Sophie Barat and St. Rose Philippine Duchesne in France and visit the fresco of “Mater Admirabilis” in Rome. Along the way, they also see some of the world’s most beloved art, enjoy delicious cuisine, and explore the famous landmarks and historical sites of Rome, Florence, and Paris. Click here to learn more about Fritaly >>>

Examples of other recent international school-sponsored trips include French immersion trips to Quebec City, Canada, and Vichy, France.

*There may be an academic requirement if a student will miss classes.

Explore our next International Adventure

DASH Across the Globe

Domestic Service Trips

NETWORK SUMMER SERVICE

Current freshmen through juniors may apply for a Network summer service trip. Traditionally, over 150 Network students participate. Many service opportunities are offered such as the St. Madeleine Sophie Center in El Cajon, California; Juvenile Justice service trip in Chicago, Illinois; #projectneo in Miami, FL; Healthy Water Rebuilt NOLA in New Orleans, LA and many more. Sites vary from year to year. Length and cost of the trips vary depending on the site. Students may travel by themselves or with a small group from Duchesne if other students are accepted on the trip.

Additional information about the Network Summer Service Program can be found here.

If you have questions about this trip opportunity contact:

Mr. Scott Quinn
Service Coordinator
squinn@duchesneacademy.org

WINNEBAGO INDIAN RESERVATION

Students may apply for ten to twelve openings every spring to visit St. Augustine Mission School founded by St. Katherine Drexel in 1906 at Winnebago, Nebraska. Students stay at the school and eat with the local students throughout the trip. Duchesne students learn the history, language, and culture of the Omaha and Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) tribes through the cultural liaison at St. Augustine’s.

If you have questions about this trip opportunity contact:

Mr. Eric Krakowski
Assistant Principal
ekrakowski@duchesneacademy.org

KOINONIA FARM

In the fall, students have the opportunity to visit Koinonia Farm in Americus, Georgia. Koinonia Farm was founded in 1942 by Clarence Jordan as a demonstration plot for the Kingdom of God, where all people, regardless of race, would be treated with dignity. Today, Koinonia Farm continues to be devoted to living out the Christian faith, promoting peace, living simply, and farming sustainably. Highlights of this trip include living and working with members of Koinonia Farm, volunteering at Harvest of Hope Food Pantry, visiting Habitat for Humanity International Village, learning about Fair-Trade at Café Campesino, a coffee roastery and coffee shop, touring the Albany Civil Rights Institute and two churches where Martin Luther King, Jr spoke, and a couple hikes to enjoy God’s beauty. This trip offers plenty of opportunities for students to grow in their faith, live out social justice, and learn more about American History.

If you have any questions about this trip opportunity, contact:

Mrs. Sara McConnell
Theology Teacher
smcconnell@duchesneacademy.org

International Service Trips

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

The Institute for Latin American Concern (ILAC) in the Dominican Republic is an “international, Christian, Ignatian-inspired, collaborative health care and educational organization that exists to promote the integral well-being and spiritual growth of all its participants.” (Creighton.edu) Each year, 12 young women from Duchesne spend the fall semester raising money to do a service project in one of the campos. The spring semester is spent preparing for the trip: building community, learning about the history and current issues in the Dominican Republic and preparing spiritually. Preparation also includes an overnight retreat. Students then spend two weeks in the Dominican Republic learning about the country firsthand and completing their service project. The highlight of the trip is the five days spent in the campo, a complete immersion experience to complete their service project and live with Dominican families. Traveling to the Dominican Republic through ILAC provides experience for the girls that help develop their spirituality, their appreciation for the lifestyle we lead in the United States, and a commitment to a social awareness which impels to action.

If you have questions about this trip opportunity contact:

Mrs. Frances Swanson
College Counselor
fswanson@duchesneacademy.org

MEXICO

Every other year, Duchesne students join Sacred Heart students from Stuart Hall and Convent of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco and Sacred Heart in Atherton. They travel to Mexico for a five-day service experience in Mexico City, Cholula, and Puebla. Community Links International co-sponsors this trip.

If you have questions about this trip opportunity contact:

Mr. TJ Mullaney
Theology Teacher
tmullaney@duchesneacademy.org

AFRICA

The Uganda service trip occurs every other year. Students visit Sacred Heart schools and convents, as well as the motherhouse for the Kenya-Uganda province and the novitiate. Experiencing the common spirituality that ties us together within the international network of Sacred Heart is a powerful reinforcement to our own spirituality. The spiritual dimension of the trip to Uganda includes a retreat prior to departure as well as a retreat at the end of the trip. The girls are constantly reminded that they are Christ’s hands and feet and are there to live as Ugandans to experience the world through their eyes. Once students return to Duchesne, they share their experiences with the rest of the community.

If you have questions about this trip opportunity contact:

Mrs. Katie Risch Bakhit
V.P. of Advancement
kbakhit@duchesneacademy.org

In This Section

Global Opportunities

Start Here. Go Anywhere.

Global Citizenship Certification

Sacred Heart Exchange

Service Trips

Service Scholarship Opportunities

ILAC program at Creighton University

International Travel

International Travel

DASH Across the Globe

Domestic Service Trips

NETWORK SUMMER SERVICE

WINNEBAGO INDIAN RESERVATION

KOINONIA FARM

International Service Trips

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

MEXICO

AFRICA

Links & Resources