A group of Texas Woman’s University students and staff will be spending their spring break volunteering in Dallas and San Juan, Puerto Rico in an effort to improve local communities and help those in need.
Alternative Spring Break is a volunteer experience that allows students to volunteer in different service projects around the world.
“The idea is that we go out to communities that are different from our own,” Christopher Scanlan, coordinator of civic engagement for the Center for Student Development, said. “We work with those communities themselves, volunteering with different nonprofits or agencies within the area based on what they see their needs are. And during [the trip], we reflect on both our place within that specific cause or community and reflect on the different things we learned there.”
For the Dallas trip, the Alternative Spring Break volunteers will be working with Crossroads Community Services and tackling the issue of food insecurity. The team headed to Puerto Rico will be working alongside Peninsula de Cantera and helping with disaster relief and community engagement. Jillian Cruzet, a senior psychology major and one of the team’s site leaders, said the volunteer plan for the Puerto Rico trip is diverse.
“We get to work with the youth and children in enrichment activities, with the elderly and in the outdoors. On our first day, we’ll be able to get a tour of Peninsula de Cantera and learn about their organization,” Cruzet said. “On our last day, we’ll have the opportunity to take a water tour around the Bay area there, so there’s going to be a good mix of fun and work.”
To be considered for the trip, students applied and were interviewed for a position on the team. Scanlan said he was looking for candidates who had a heart for volunteering and would work well in a group.
“We didn’t want just one type of student,” Scanlan said. “I think the most common thing is a desire to serve, desire to grow and desire to impact the community. We wanted a mix of both students that were freshmen coming in wanting to develop themselves and also people who saw it as ‘OK, this is my way to take that next step forward in my volunteer journey.’”
Fiama Villagrana-Ocasio, a freshman political science major, sees the trip as a great way to give back to a place that means a lot to her.
“I’m actually Puerto Rican and, with the transition to college, I want to find leadership opportunities to grow as a leader. On top of that, I know that there’s a need for help in Puerto Rico right now, especially with all that’s happened with earthquakes and then post Hurricane Maria,” Villagrana-Ocasio said. “There isn’t really a lot of help or resources for people there.
“So, for me, I felt like this was more of a personal way for me to give back to my community.”
Sophomore nursing major Maricruz Becerra went on the Alternative Spring Break last year and attributes it to helping her grow as a leader. At the beginning of last year’s trip, Becerra said she was quiet and rarely spoke up to share her opinion. During the trip, she opened up more and began taking the lead. This year, Becerra is a site leader.
“I’m an introvert, so [the trip] will help me grow professionally so that in the future I can be a better leader,” Becerra said. “I want to become a nurse, so I think [this trip] could be a great way that I learn how to impact cultures and other communities.”
Plamedie Ifasso can be reached at pifasso@twu.edu.
Featured Image courtesy of Christopher Scanlan
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