Hear From Our Students Who Attend Alternative Breaks
Memphis, TN
This Alternative Break group worked with St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital to sort and process donations to their holiday program as well as with a variety of Memphis community-based organizations in collaboration with Serve 901.
The St. Jude’s alternative break is one of the best experiences I’ve had at Alma. Learning about the city, its history, and being given the opportunity to serve such an amazing place. I truly believe that the variety of experiences on this trip will make it one of the most important opportunities Alma has offered me.
– Anna
Honestly, I think the most important thing I learned was how much I enjoy Alt Breaks; I’ve been interested in them for so long, but going into this, I was so scared that I wouldn’t be able to handle the work or that I wouldn’t get along with the people, but I had SUCH a great time, and I know that I want to participate in so many more of these. It feels like the work we do really has an impact on people; I learned a lot; and it was just a LOT of fun.
– Anand
I saw how big of a difference a few individuals can make in the lives of others. It was incredible to see everyone’s passion for helping others and their dedication inspired me to work harder. I loved learning the history of Memphis and getting the locals stories as well. I think this trip helped me grow my skills as a person. I was able to work with my team efficiently and we were able to have fun while we worked. I saw myself growing more comfortable with my group and our end of the night discussions helped me reflect on the important aspects of each day. It helped me to appreciate the work that I was doing and continue working hard everyday.
– Mary Grace
New Orleans, LA:
This Alternative Break group worked with the nonprofit Further Along to support their goal of planting 5,000 cypress trees to mitigate coastal erosion. They also served at a local food bank and learned about the unique culture and cuisine of their host community.
One of the most influential things I learned was the actual environmental impact of what we were doing. Up until the last 100-150 years cypress swamps in similar scale to the redwoods existed and aided in stopping storm surges but most no longer exist due to the logging industry. By planting these trees it is working to bring these back over the next few generations. Another thing I learned was how different the culture is in that part of the country, it showed me that southern hospitality is actually a real thing and everyone is very community oriented, which I just think is really interesting to see. Overall, I feel like I learned a lot and definitely had my eyes opened and felt very connected to what I was doing.
I feel like I developed my communication, collaboration, and listening skills as well as learning how to do more with my hands. I take a lot of value from getting to work with all new people, many of them local to New Orleans or at least the state of Louisiana, so I thought it was really interesting to get to hear all their stories and learn from them about their state and their culture and also the land. I feel like this experience let me grow and spread my roots as a human and am I forever grateful for that.
– Lauren
I think all students should attend an alternative break at least once because it helps you see that there is good in the world, and it is far more common than you realize. […] I have developed the skill of being able to co-exist with others despite individual differences. I think the unexpected skill I have developed is being able to see the life and culture of parts of the world I did not know existed.
–Joshua
Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands:
This Alternative Break included a certification course in coral reef renewal as well as hands-on opportunities to support coral reef restoration efforts.
I have learned a lot about the underwater ecosystem and seen all the different species. I did not realize how many factors also go into choosing what corals to replant or how that process really looked before coming here. I enjoy cleaning the coral trees; it is a bit challenging to string up new growths, so that was a learning curve. I loved being able to outplant new growths on the last day of the class before getting fully certified.
I view my role here as a person who wants to give back to nature in a special way. By getting certified in the Reef Renewal Program, PADI, I become a special volunteer to help rebuild the aquatic ecosystems in these tropical areas. I can now go anywhere in the world and help out on a reef renewal project by helping clean and plant new corals. I get to be a part of something bigger than myself and truly give back to nature in a special way.
– Isabell
