Students go Into the ROC to connect with their community

RIT students aren’t just studying in Rochester, they’re experiencing the region's rich culture, arts, and people. Through Into the ROC, a program that introduced nearly 8,500 students to the region since 2016, they’ve explored, volunteered, and built lasting community ties.

The program, managed by RIT’s Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, features about a dozen trips in the community per semester. Most are on Saturdays, are free, and include transportation.

“Our goal is to help students discover the exciting opportunities within the broader Rochester community while making connections with their peers and empowering them to contribute meaningfully throughout their time in Rochester,” said Victoria Cirillo, assistant director for Civic Engagement and co-coordinator of Into the ROC.

Following their Into the ROC experience, Cirillo said 99 percent of surveyed students indicated they were interested in exploring other new places in Rochester.

Into the ROC is the culmination of established partnerships between the university and some of the area’s most active organizations, and the events highlight three categories: people, places, and possibilities. Next semester’s trips are expected to be posted in RIT’s events calendar soon.

One of the most popular events each semester is the college night at Strong National Museum of Play in downtown Rochester, which often has hundreds of RIT students in attendance. It is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 6, 2026.

Lilly Rowland, a fourth-year computer science and bioinformatics double major from Chicago, began going to Into the ROC events in her first semester at RIT to get to know the community better, since she didn’t have a car. She attended a career fair downtown, participated in a scavenger hunt, collected and donated unsold food with Flower City Pickers at the Rochester Public Market, made empanadas, sampled Asian food at various markets, and petted goats and llamas at an agricultural fair at the Genesee Country Village and Museum in Mumford.

Four years later, she’s still a frequent attendee, and almost always attends with her two roommates, Josie Clapp, a fourth-year imaging science major from Ipswich, Mass., and Katelynn Carlson, a fourth-year chemical engineering major from Hopewell Junction, N.Y.

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Paul Besch-Turner/RIT

Lilly Rowland, center, was one of 30 RIT students who volunteered as part of the Into the ROC program through the Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement to help with trail maintenance at Washington Grove, an old growth forest in the city of Rochester.

“Into the ROC is a great way to explore the city, have fun with your friends and feel good about yourself,” Rowland said. “I definitely would recommend it.”

The trio especially enjoys the activities that include volunteering, such as a recent trip to Washington Grove, near Cobbs Hill, where they were among 30 students who cleared leaves, spread mulch, and upgraded walking trails with Friends of Washington Grove.

“It was a little bit of a workout, but it was nice,” Rowland said. “I was on the wheelbarrow team. We were there for about three hours, taking dirt up to put on the hiking trails. It was my first time there, and now I want to go back there to hike.”

Rowland and her roommates’ enthusiasm for volunteering has spread beyond Into the ROC. All three participated in an Alternative Break one spring, going to Costa Rica to volunteer and learn about environmental sustainability. They also made meals at the Ronald McDonald House and are active in the Relay for Life cancer fundraiser held in April.

Carlson enjoyed volunteering at St. John’s Home, where she helped set up for a party and spent time with residents there.

“It was insightful to talk with people who have lived that long and experienced so much,” she said.

Having volunteer opportunities available through Into the ROC helps Rowland continue doing good for her community, something instilled in her from her parents.

“The taught me that it isn’t money that matters,” she said. “I want to do good for particular causes that matter to me. Honestly, it gives me a break from schoolwork, and I have a good time doing it. I feel good about it.”