An exceptional spring break |
| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Apr 09 2008 at 2:51 PM |
Courtesy Photos
UNK volunteers posing for a picture after long hours of work.
Yoana Garcia
Guest Writer
Although many students got the opportunity to travel to tropical places during spring break, many UNK students decided to stay home and catch up.
Catching up meant sleeping in, doing homework, working extra hours, spending time with friends and family or even moving.
Justine Agaloos, a UNK sophomore majoring in computer information systems, said her spring break was not spent along the beach, but was quite an exceptional experience a little closer to home.
Agaloos was a part of UNK's alternative spring break service-learning along with eight other UNK students.
The group traveled to Greensburg, Kan. to help with the reconstruction after a tornado disaster on May 4, 2007, when 95 percent of the homes and businesses were destroyed by a two-mile-wide EF5 tornado.
Agaloos was a first timer with UNK's program. She described this experience as an opportunity to discover your inner self.
For Agaloos, coming from a big city in New Jersey, helping out in this small community made her realize how materialistic people can be.
"When you are put in someone else's shoes and lose everything, you learn to appreciate the little things in life.
"Being part of the service-learning program served me with life-long skills," Agaloos said.
During their stay at Greensburg, the group worked 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day without pay, rebuilding houses, "I learned how to apply drywall," Agaloos said.
After work, the group had free time to interact with other students from different colleges.
"We loved to hang out with the students from South Dakota," Agaloos said.
Agaloos loved this experience; she is even thinking about making it her career.
Any students can be part of an exceptional experience for only $50.
Agaloos would like to see this program's membership grow. Even though eight volunteer students went to Greensburg, another few could join or attend other communities in need.
For more information contact Geraldine Stirtz, Director of UNK office of Service-Learning, Department of Teacher Education in College of Education Building at (308) 865-8957, or visit the Web site at www.unk.edu/service.
