Originally published in the March 6, 2007 edition of The Lantern. It is posted here unedited.
Some will tour the pyramids in Egypt. Others will build playgrounds in Ecuador or visit William Shakespeare’s hometown.
Regardless of which country they find themselves, several Ohio State students are spending their spring breaks in unconventional ways.
Through campus organizations and certain course offerings, students are heading out-of-town – and even overseas – to participate in university organized programs.
One organization, Alternative Spring Break, provides student-led community service to a specific region in need. This year, a group of volunteers will be working with indigenous school children in Quito, Ecuador, said Catherine Ford, a senior in psychology and student group leader for the trip.
“We’re extremely excited to be able to help the situation (in Quito),” she said, citing lack of school supplies as one issue of concern. “We’re doing everything from working with school children, to helping a reforestation effort, to possibly working on local farms,” Ford said.
She is one of 11 students making the trip, and one of two student leaders.
The group will meet once every week until its departure on March 16, to receive culture and language training, along with information on required medical shots and emergency scenarios, Ford said.
“There’s a lot of preliminary stuff we have to do,” she said. “But as soon as we get there, we’re immediately going to work.”
Other students are going abroad as part of an extension of their studies at OSU.
Shannon Poeppelman, a junior in English, took a course on William Shakespeare this quarter and will spend 10 days traveling through London and other parts of England with the rest of her class during spring break.
Another student told her about the opportunity, which is offered to students in any major through the English department.
“It sounded fun, so I looked into it some more,” she said.
Poeppelman said she is excited to learn more about Shakespeare, but is looking forward to being in a different country and experiencing a new culture.
Spending a quarter together in class allows students to get to know each other before the trip, said Christopher Highley, director of undergraduate studies in the English department.
Laura Bennett, another student going on the England trip, said she saw the opportunity as an alternative to study abroad.
“I liked the idea that it was just a 10-day commitment and I don’t have to worry about taking classes somewhere else,” Bennett said.
As part of a similar program, Dane Yocco will be 500 miles away treading Egyptian sand.
The junior in political science is enrolled in an OSU Near Eastern Language and Culture course, where students spend the quarter learning about the history of Egypt and culminating the course with a week-long trip to the ancient country.
Yocco will make the trip with 60 classmates, staying in a five-star hotel, he said.
“We’ll see the pyramids and Alexandria,” Yocco said. “It’s going to be a wrap-up of everything we’ve learned. I can’t wait.”
