By Chandana Mandadi, Phoenix staff writer
GSU’s Community Service and Center for Student Engagement collaborated with Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge to organize this year’s Alternative Spring Break, held in Florida from March 11 – 15. Six students from Governors State University, along with one staff chaperone, participated in the event. Ricca Louissaint, coordinator of Civic Engagement, and Intercultural Education supervised the Alternative Spring Break activities.
Dr. Konya Sledge, the Director of the Center for Student Engagement and Intercultural Programs, selected this year’s location after assessing the service opportunities available, considering affordability, and ensuring accessibility for students.
Participating in Habitat for Humanity entails fulfilling several goals: First, engaging in community service and making meaningful contributions to the local community; second, gaining valuable construction and teamwork skills through hands-on experience; third, supporting Habitat for Humanity’s mission of constructing affordable housing and fostering stable communities; finally, benefiting from a distinctive immersive learning experience tailored to the environment of Fort Lauderdale.
The students traveled to Florida via air for the Alternative Spring Break. Leading up to the trip, they met weekly, acquainting themselves with each other and preparing for their service activities. Several departments, including Admissions, the Alumni Association, and CSIEP, provided GSU spirit gear such as shirts, hats, water bottles, fanny packs, hand sanitizers, and journals for the students to use during their week-long service event.
Louissaint took the lead in ensuring everything ran smoothly, from cleaning and arranging tables to pitching in with students to build homes.
Chaitanya Vepareddygari, the leader of the Alternative Spring Break initiative, described the event as incredibly rewarding. Through diverse activities and interactions, they strengthened bonds within the group and acquired new skills, particularly in home construction, which they found deeply fulfilling.
Their mornings, from 8 a.m. to noon, were dedicated to volunteering at the Habitat for Humanity community, and the afternoons and evenings were devoted to outside pursuits. On March 11, they collaborated with peers from different universities to distribute groceries to locals. On March 12 they visited Everglades National Park. Exploring Atlantic Beach followed on March 13, and the next day they shared a communal dinner. Chaitanya and their peers actively engaged in preparing and serving the meal, fostering meaningful connections with fellow volunteers and facilitators who organized the event.