Many Auburn students headed south for spring break to enjoy time off of class while basking in the sun. Few, however, spent their break helping those in need.
One was Brianne Aeikens, senior in biomedical sciences. Her spring break consisted of studying community development in Costa Rica.
Aeikens said she heard about the Alternative Student Breaks program through Auburn University freshman year, but hadn't gotten specific details about it until this past year when she spoke with site leaders.
"I talked with them quite extensively about it, and they gave me more information and told me what an awesome experience it was," Aeikens said. "I just decided I wanted to do something meaningful with my break instead of laying on the beach all week," Aeikens said.
The application process involved writing essays and ranking the trips in order of preference. The process was also more competitive this year than in previous years.
"I definitely wanted to do an international trip because it gave me a chance to work on my Spanish-speaking skills and interact with people from a native Spanish-speaking country," Aeikens said.
Getting the chance to work at a refugee village in San Jose filled with many Nicaraguan refugees and children was something Aeikens enjoyed most about her trip.
"The second day we were there, a bunch of the kids from the village came in and played with us; we brought sidewalk chalk, jump ropes, games and snacks," Aeikens said. "They were so shy at first, but they ended up jumping all over us and throwing chalk at our faces--it was really cool to see, and even if it was just for one afternoon, you could tell that we really did make their day."
The houses there are crowded together, and the children in the village don't have a park to play or run around in like many kids in America have. Aeikens said being able to give the children the chance to play, even if it was for one day, was extremely rewarding.
The second site the students worked at was an orphanage in a different city approximately three hours away from the first site. Aeikens said they were given more of a chance there to interact with the children and the people in the community.
She even got to paint a Disney princess theme in a little girl's bedroom.
"At the orphanage, we could paint the room and then go play with the girls that were going to live there," Aeikens said. "We got to see the direct impact we were having."
Aeikens said the experience gave her a new outlook on many things in her life.
"It just made me realize how many people out there really need our help," Aeikens said. "It was refreshing to know that I made a difference in people's lives, instead of just taking a break for myself."
Aeikens said many children talked about how much they loved going to school, but most of the schools there are extremely small with about 50 children only going for approximately three hours a day.
"I think everyone learned how much we take for granted--every single kid told us how much they like school, and it made me rethink all the opportunities we have here," Aeikens said.
Bonding with her group was something Aeikens said she also loved.
"There were science majors, education majors, engineering majors and business majors," she said. "It was such a broad group, and it was fun to interact with people from different ages and majors that I otherwise wouldn't have ever crossed paths with."
Aeikens encourages anyone interested in community service to apply to the program.
"While there are plenty of opportunities for it in Auburn, it's something completely different to go into another country and see the differences there," Aeikens said.
Students interested in the program can go to auburn.edu/service and click on Alternative Student Breaks. To read about students' experiences over spring break this year, the alternative spring break blog can be found at auburnccs.wordpress.com.
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