Students Serve Communities During Puerto Rico Spring Trip

By Blake Jackson

Eight students and two staff members from Northwest Missouri State University spent their spring break in a meaningful way, traveling to Puerto Rico for a service-focused experience.

The trip, held March 1-6, was part of the university’s Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program, which emphasizes community engagement and experiential learning.

During their time on the island, the group partnered with Community Collaborations International to take part in several hands-on projects. Their work included assisting with equine therapy, contributing to an agroecological farm, and maintaining rainforest trails.

These efforts allowed students to directly support local communities while gaining valuable real-world experience.

“The students that choose to participate in Alternative Spring Break are really exemplary of what it means to be a leader in the community,” Garrison Kennedy, Northwest’s student rights and responsibilities coordinator, said.

“They represented Northwest by demonstrating that our University cares about what's going on outside of its own campus, and it cares what's happening in communities nearby and far away.”

The ASB program immerses students in diverse environments, encouraging them to explore issues such as social justice, economic inequality, and community outreach while building leadership and critical thinking skills.

Katelyn Briggs, a senior psychology major, has participated in multiple ASB trips since discovering the program as a freshman.

“You’re there for five to eight hours a day, digging a trench or cleaning out a room, but the people we worked with told us that what we did in just a few hours would have taken them months,” Briggs said. “You don’t realize the impact you make, but you make a big impact.”

First-time participant Kenadie Scollin also found the experience rewarding. “Throughout the whole experience, just communicating with a close-knit group of people while also being open-minded was a huge skill that you needed to learn and build along the way,” Scollin said.

Since its founding in 2006, ASB has provided students with opportunities to serve communities both locally and across the country while developing lifelong skills.

Photo Credit: gettyimages-fotografixx