Jim Burklo, associate dean of religious life, and MacKenzie Edwards and Nathaniel Gonzalez, two undergraduates active in USC’s Interfaith Council, participated in a community service training in mid-October at the White House.

The Interfaith Leadership Institute brought together 100 college students from 50 campuses around the nation. The kickoff was a welcome event hosted by the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

One of the institute’s goals was to train student leaders to respond to issues of religious prejudice or conflict on campus and in the news.

“We gained a greater appreciation for the high level of interfaith engagement at our university, compared to almost all others,” Burklo said. “We were very inspired by the depth of commitment by the White House to encourage and enable students of all faiths to serve their communities together.”

The Trojans did not get to meet President Barack Obama, however. Coincidentally, on the day they were at the White House, he was speaking here on campus.