Spring break serves as an escape from cold climates, mounting assignments and campus stagnation. At American University, however, students’ plans are a little more nuanced.
Whether taking the traditional vacation route or participating in volunteer work, students are using the break to engage in community-building experiences and learn more about themselves.
Some students spent the week in one of the University’s Alternative Break Programs. These programs center on community-based engagement in a variety of locations, with an array of options abroad and domestically. Students get to visit historic sites and talk to leaders about social issues affecting the place and people, while making a tangible impact.
“You have a blend of different students from different backgrounds and different majors, minors, academic programs, and interests that are able to come together in a short time period to accomplish this unique experience of working with community partners and doing this project,” said Melanie Bullock, service director of Leadership and Community Engagement.
Ali Cherry, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs, participated in a trip to Honduras, where her group worked with youth in El Progresso, to build sustainable programs through a project of their choosing.
The group worked closely with the Organization for Youth Empowerment, a youth development program in Honduras. The group hopes to bring what they learned back to the U.S. to educate and help their own communities, Cherry said.
Cherry said she first heard about the program during freshman orientation week and decided to apply, excited by the variety of programs to choose from. Cherry said she had experience with advocacy and volunteer organizations, in her hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, and in Washington, D.C., but she looked forward to participating on a different scale.
“Especially in D.C., there’s so much politically you can get involved in,” Cherry said. “But it’s completely different and a little bit scary even to go into a new country where you don’t know what the issues look like and to still be willing to serve and help however you can.”
Because Alternative Breaks are impact-based, students are immersed in their areas immediately. Impact-based learning involves hands-on experiences where students create solutions to real-world problems.
“They walk away with an increased interest in the social issue, wanting to explore more or see how they can connect with the work they are doing,” Bullock said.
While students participating in Alternative Breaks build community with new acquaintances, students travelling with their friends also said they developed deeper bonds beyond campus.
Emma Blankenship, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, went to Miami with her friends and teammates from the AU Women’s Volleyball team. This is her second year travelling with her volleyball friends, and they hope to continue the tradition.
To Blankenship, not only does spring break provide a mental break from demanding schoolwork, but it allows her to interact with her friends in a different place. She credits her team’s close bond to their opportunities to travel together.
“We got to spend more time with each other and we just got to see this other side of one another,” Blankenship said. “Aside from all the crazy business that we’re used to.”
This year, Blankenship said the team enjoyed the time off, exploring new restaurants and hanging out on the beach. They prioritized relaxation to counter their busy school and volleyball schedules, she said.
“It’s really nice to be able to finish your exams, go on vacation or go wherever, just have a break, and come back and it’s like a little reset,” Blankenship said.
Ange Saucedo, a freshman in the School of International Service and the School of Communication, traveled to Puerto Rico with three of her friends. Saucedo said they toured La Fortaleza and spent most of their time on the beach at Isla Verde.
“While we were talking about it, it didn’t really seem like reality, but it came true!” Saucedo said.
Saucedo and her friends met just this year, so she was excited to get to know them more in a different light. Despite the challenge, Saucedo looks forward to the experience.
“We have to acknowledge that vacation brings other sides of ourselves, and we want to be able to compromise and learn from that and be able to adapt to each other,” Saucedo said. “And I think that’s just gonna show our strength as friends, hopefully.”
University programs and student vacations are part of what makes the college experience so special, Bullock and Saucedo said.
“I’m exploring a new place with them,” Saucedo said. “We’re going to be able to bond as friends and be able to have an experience together that only college would have brought us.”
This article was edited by Madeleine Olive Redd, Payton Anderson and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Avery Grossman, Mattie Lupo and Ava Stuzin.
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