As winter break approaches and many Keene State College students pack up their bags to return home, some students have other plans on how to spend their time off.
Instead of taking time to relax and unwind after a hectic semester, some students, like KSC Senior Natalie Riddel, have chosen to take part in other activities.
Riddel will take part in Alternative Break International [ABI].
She explained that the program allows students to choose a location, some national and one international, to travel to for a service trip in which students work for an organizer for a cause specific to the area.
Riddel said the type of work ABI partakes in is very important to her.
“I’d heard such good things about other people’s experiences [through ABI] and decided to go for it,” she added.
Senior and communication major Ryan Mahan is also apart of the ABI organization.
Mahan said that he is a team leader for the ABI trip to the Dominican Republic happening Jan. 4, 2015.
He noted that his ten-day trip will focus on the social justice issue of clean water sanitation and hygiene.
He also said that he was initially attracted to ABI because it quenched his thirst to help the community.
“I was brought up in a family and community of service. I earned my Eagle Scout Rank before coming to college where a major focus for me was community service and awareness. When I came to Keene State [College] I was able to stay involved with this passion. [ABI allowed me to] find opportunities to give back in areas that I was most passionate about including children, early education, clean water and healthcare,” Mahan stated.
Both Mahan and Riddel said that they find ABI to be rewarding. Riddel said that she had worked with the Boys and Girls Club on one of her ABI trips and made a connection with a second grade girl over their shared passion for skateboarding.
Riddel explained, “When I said, ‘Maybe you’ll go to college someday and skateboard on campus like I do,’ she looked at me and said, ‘That doesn’t happen for us very often.’ I knew before I said it that she was right, but hearing that she knew it too broke my heart. But seeing her smile when I said, ‘Work hard and you never know’ was a nice feeling.”
Mahan stated that he’d rather spend his break working with ABI over anything else.
“Hands-on experiences, to me, are what individuals learn best from. Not only do we find our teams in unfamiliar settings from which we can learn about topics that go unnoticed, but we can also use these experiences to educate others throughout the rest of our lives,” he said.
Katie Reed, a junior at KSC, is also traveling this upcoming break — but not through ABI.
Reed stated that this coming break she will be traveling to Grand Goave, Haiti to volunteer at an orphanage for a non-profit organization called “Be Like Brit.”
“Being able to immerse myself in a completely different culture is a reward itself. I’m really blessed for all of the opportunities that I have been given in life and I believe that it is my moral obligation to help less fortunate people around the world,” she said.
According to Reed, “Be Like Brit” is a tribute organization that was formed when Britney Gengel, a student from Lynn University, was on a service trip in Haiti and died in the 2010 earthquake.
Reed said that hours before her death, Gengel sent a text message to her mother in which she said, “I want to move here and start an orphanage myself.”
Reed added that Gengel’s family decided to make her dying wish come true by building an orphanage in her honor. Reed noted that this is her second time traveling to Haiti for “Be Like Brit.”
“[Through ‘Be Like Brit,’] the Gengel’s are changing the lives of so many people and creating such a positive, inspiring story out of a horrific situation. It’s a privilege to help them make Brit’s dreams come true and this being the season of giving, I can’t think of a better way to contribute to someone in need,” she said.
While some have chosen travel and volunteer, other KSC students, such as Senior Molly Merrigan, are working over their break.
Merrigan stated that she is returning to her waitressing and bartending job in her hometown because she, for the most part, supports herself financially.
“Being a college student is typically a tight financial budget for most students and since I am paying my tuition, rent and many other bills, I rely on working hard over breaks to support myself during the school year,” she said.
However, Merrigan said that she isn’t just returning to work solely for the money.
“I love where I work and the people I work with. Over time, my co-workers have become my ‘Farm Table Family,’” Merrigan added.
Hayley Grove, a junior and elementary education and American Studies major, is also returning to her job in retail as a seasonal associate.
“I’m going to spend most of my break working and making money than be bored at home and being unproductive,” Grove explained.
Grove added that she is going to catch up with friends from her high school when she isn’t working.
“I find it really important to maintain those relationships you made in high school. Just because we’re all in different places doesn’t mean we necessarily have to lose touch with one another,” she added.
Junior and communications major Kate Kelly also plans on working throughout break during her internship for a Baltimore digital media company called Alexander & Tom Inc.
Kelly stated that this is her third time interning at the 15-person company.
“Because it’s so small, they give me a lot of responsibility, which is cool because I’m able to learn so much more,” she said.
Kelly explained that during her internship, she will be “helping to build the new U.S. Treasury Department website and managing their current content.”
Interning for Alexander & Tom Inc. this break, according to Kelly, is important because it allows her to use her time wisely by making money. She added that, because the internship is close to home, she is able to spend time with family and friends.
Claire Hickey can be contacted at chickey@keene-equinox.com
