Students prepare for Alternative Spring Break

While some students hit the beach or relax at home over Spring Break, others will be helping those in need.

The ISU Center for Public Service and Community Engagement's Alternative Spring Break program has students going to either Atlanta, Ga., or Memphis, Tenn., giving them a chance to provide assistance where help is needed.

First-year student affairs and higher education graduate student Tradara Sprowel will be heading up the Atlanta, Ga. trip. There she will work with refugees from around the world who have been in the United States five years or less.

Through Refugee Family Services, students teach English as a second language to K-12 students at an after-school program.

The trip is about "branching out your community service," Sprowel said. "We will have no cable, limited Internet access, cooking our own access, cooking our own meals, have to sleep on a church floor and living with people you first met in November (2008)."

Heading up the Memphis trip will be second-year student affairs, higher education graduate student Crystal Brown.

This is Brown's fourth year being in the program, starting as an undergraduate. She said she loves volunteering.

"Originally I got involved because of Hurricane Katrina," Brown said.

In Memphis, students will work with Hand on Memphis doing landscaping and painting projects. Through MIFA, students will get the opportunity to do weatherized projects for low-income senior citizens housing. The students will then take their helping spirits to St. Jude's Children Hospital. Only touring the facility on last year's trip, this is the first year with an evening program where students will provide comfort throughout the hospital's dormitory - eating ice cream, doing crafts and taking a shot at singing doing karaoke, Brown said.

Brittany Parrett, a freshman elementary education major, will also be participating for the first time.

"Most of us take our comfortable life styles for granted and ASB will really put that into perspective.," said Parrett, who will go to Atlanta.

Although she will be helping people, Parrett said she is "looking forward to all the friendships and connections with not only the members of ASB but the people of Memphis that I'm helping.

I know it will be a great experience."

Of the 29 people attending alternative spring break this year, some this is a first time. To Andrea Lozano, a junior fashion merchandizing major, this is a new experience.

"I just wanted to experience something different for spring break," Lozano said. She was looking forward to "meeting new people and seeing what it is like walking in their shoes," Lozano said.

Although she is nervous, this spring break will be fun, exciting and definitely one to remember.