Hello lovely readers! As many of you know, Suffolk offers an amazing program called Alternative Spring. What that means is that over 100 students go to locations across the U.S to participate in community service during spring break. A cool part about that is that these trips are student led. We sat down with three leaders to get their thoughts about the program and what they love about it.

What is your name,  year and major?

Monica Caggiano, Senior Class of 2016, Radiation Therapy with a Psychology Minor

Liza Hurley Senior– English Major WGS Minor

Lorelei Meuse, Super Senior Fine Arts Major at Nesad

What ASB trip(s) have you been on before?

Habitat for Humanity in Newland, North Carolina in 2013

Freshman year- LGBTQ Trip in Philadelphia

Junior Year- Habitat Trip in South Bend, Indiana.

I went to Philly last year.I had such an amazing and life changing experience, met people who I have stayed friends with, made connections in other places that I will have for a long time.

Are you excited to be a leader this year, and what made you want to be a leader?

Yes! This is the most exciting position I have been selected for while at Suffolk University. I had an amazing experience on my first Alternative Spring Break. Building a house from scratch is an eye opening process. My group became very close and bonded because of the great leaders we had. I want to be able to be that leader for my group and create a team!

I am really excited to be a leader this year. I was a leader last year but came on as an addition. I really enjoyed working with a co-leader and making the trip what we wanted it to be. I never realized how much went into being a leader and I certainly gained an appreciation for it last year. I wanted to be a leader again and this time to go through the entire process.

I want to be a leader so that others at Suffolk can have that same feeling of meeting new friends and making connections while doing good.

What’s your favorite memory from your past ASB experience?

We were welcomed with open arms into the family we were building the house for. We had lunch at a close relative’s house one of the days we were at the site and we got to experience a meal with their entire family. It was heartwarming to see how they welcomed us into their home and how grateful they were to have us be apart of their life.

That’s tough. I went on two incredible trips that were both unique in there own way. I think my favorite memory was from last year in South Bend. Our group really formed a special bond with our site manager Gerry. He really helped us see the impact of what we were doing, and always believed in us even when we might have been a little hesitant about the specific job that we were working on. Gerry was particularly passionate about this work and reminded us each day. We had him over for dinner the last night of our trip and that’s probably my favorite memory. The final reflection with him was particularly moving because of the impact we had made on each other.

My favorite memory is all of us at the love statue in Philly. It felt really nice to be around people who you know support you and accept you.

What’s one thing you learned from going on ASB?

I learned what was fun and exciting for us to do as a group literally changed a family’s life. All the wood that we were hammering together soon became the walls of a bedroom, living room, and bathroom. Our fun project turned into a home for a family in need.

People are going to surprise you. Whether it is the other people in your group, your co-leader, facilitators, etc. I have learned so much about myself and the other people I have worked with on both trips and I am excited to learn more this year!

I learned that I  have a lot more work to do to be a better person.

What’s one word you would use to describe ASB?

Positive

Inspirational

one word to describe Asb is effing amazing!

What would you tell people who are hesitant about applying for ASB?

I would tell them this is a very inexpensive way to spend your Spring Break doing work that will truly matter to a family in need.  Not only is this a service trip, but it is a chance to meet new people from the Suffolk Community and create friendships that will last forever.

I think a lot of people are hesitant about going on ASB because they might want that week to relax and possibly spend it somewhere warmer. While ASB is a commitment I promise you it will be worth it. There is something relaxing about getting away from your own life and spending a week connecting with a group of people you barely know and working on something that will really make a difference. I didn’t go on ASB my sophomore year because I had another commitment for two days during spring break that year. So I say from experience that going on ASB is far better than sitting at home. It really helps to motivate me to finish out the semester.

If any one is hesitant, like anything else in life you’ll never know if you don’t try and you won’t regret it !

We hope you enjoyed hearing from these three great leaders! If you are interested in applying you can find the application at: http://www.suffolk.edu/asbapplication Applications are due this Friday 10/9 at 5:00 PM. Don’t miss your chance to join this awesome program!!!