The Center for Student Engagement and Intercultural Programs (CSEIP) recently hosted its annual Alternative Spring Break (ASB) trip. This year faculty and students traveled to Puerto Rico to lend a hand in the recovery of this U.S. territory.

CSEIP is an organization at GSU that is geared toward enhancing the college experience for all GSU students. As stated on GSU’s website, “CSEIP promotes a sense of belonging and connectedness through campus programming, leadership development, intercultural education and service…”  

               While many of us may remember the tremendous impact of Hurricane Maria in September of 2017, Puerto Rico also experienced earthquakes in 2019 and 2020 in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you include Hurricanes Teddy in September 2020 and Fiona in September 2022, you can imagine a demoralizing situation where there has been no time to recover from damage and loss.

               From March 13-19, a team of five GSU students and two faculty members actively contributed to relief efforts. When asked what her overall impression of the trip was, GSU Graduate Assistant and MBA Candidate Chaundrea Jenkins on the experience. including recommendations to other students, she responded: “It’s (ASB) a great eye-opening experience…In addition to having a service-focused mind, it’s advantageous for any Alternative Spring Break participant to have a willing spirit.”

               It sounds as though this trip fit well with Chaundrea’s philosophy. She noted that she is inclined to serve. She is a leader for her church’s food panty and a softball coach in the summer. The opportunity to add a different kind of service to her life was a sizeable motivating factor in her decision to participate.

               One of the services that she participated in during the trip was making repairs to a damaged roof. She painted the trim of a home, restoring it to what it once was. She (along with her group) also went to the El Yunque Rainforest to transport and put down gravel for walking and hiking paths for visitors of the mountain. El Yunque Rainforest is the only tropical rainforest in the national forest system, and it gets nearly 1 million visitors annually. Service acts like this add to the accessibility for visitors, reinforcing El Yunque as an impactful resource for Puerto Rico’s economic stability and growth.

               Montgomery Profit II, the Clubs and Organizations Specialist for the CSEIP, expressed how that this trip was a success and a great experience for everyone involved. An immersive experience like public service abroad aligns well with the Center’s mission of overall engagement with the students, as they further their education and their reach as stewards of their respective communities. The CSEIP is already making plans for next years’ service trip, looking forward to the exciting opportunities that they can offer students.