First international alternative spring break makes difference in Costa Rica

Alternative Spring Break (ASB) is an established tradition at Oxford College. Students opt out of traditional spring-break activities and opt in to volunteer work that benefits others. ASB is designed and offered by the Office of Student Development and supported by the Pierce Institute for Leadership and Community Engagement.

ASB 2012 marked the first time that Oxford students could choose an international location in addition to a stateside option (this year, in coastal South Carolina). Ten Oxford students, accompanied by Oxford Chaplain Lyn Pace 02T and Crystal McLaughlin, director of student development, traveled to La Carpio, Costa Rica, a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of capital city San Jose. They spent their week in several projects, including pouring a cement floor in a house that previously had only dirt floors, painting two outdoor murals, building bunk beds for a home, and starting construction on a pedestrian bridge.

ASB participant Mashall Momin 12OX 14C reflects, “This trip made it evident that the power of collaboration and a passion to serve can create a diverse global community.”