While many college students spend their breaks partying in bars and on beaches, two Oxford High School graduates dedicated their winter vacations to helping others.
Central Michigan University students Nichole Crosson and Jillian Maslowsky participated in the school’s Alternative Breaks program, which provides young people with opportunities to travel domestically or abroad to engage in public service projects and social issue-based education.
Crosson, a 2004 OHS grad, volunteered with United Methodist Committee on Relief and rebuilt a home in Beaumont, Texas damaged by Hurricane Rita in 2005, while Maslowsky, who graduated OHS in 2006, helped protect endangered sea turtles and preserve valuable rain forest in Costa Rica.
Both women have done previous alternative breaks in various parts of the United States.
‘I am just addicted to service,? Crosson said. ‘I want to spend every moment I possibly can positively impacting the lives of others, whether that’s helping build them a safe place to live or just having a conversation with them.?
‘It is an amazing program that offers so many diverse issues to volunteer your time with,? Maslowsky said. ‘This program has changed my college experience completely.?
Crosson, 22, chose to work on something related to disaster relief because it ties into one of her passions ? ‘creating a sustainable future for our planet and everything that lives on it.?
‘With our climate changing as rapidly as it is, hurricanes and tornados are going to become routine,? she explained. ‘I wanted to learn more about all of this, see what disaster relief organizations were doing as far as future planning for this issue, and, of course, help some of the victims of the hurricanes in Texas to have a place to call home once again.?
Even though going to Costa Rica wasn’t her choice (she was on a waiting list and there was an opening), Maslowsky, 21, could not have been happier with her trip and the work she did in Central America.
‘I love animals and I never thought I would get to explore the rain forest,? she said. ‘It was a life-changing experience for me. It opened my eyes to a new culture, a more relaxed lifestyle and most importantly, the love of nature and animals.?
Crosson spent her break doing drywall work and installing insulation in a home damaged by Hurricane Rita. The work was difficult and physically demanding, but she hung in there and got the job done.
‘In the past, I have given up on hard labor tasks easily,? she explained. ‘I’m not very strong, so I would just get distracted and never return to the project.?
But that all changed when she went to New Orleans in May 2006 to do disaster relief work following Hurricane Katrina.
‘I felt stronger because I knew that I was doing something important, and that drive helped keep me focused,? she said. ‘It was the same down in Texas this past winter break. I knew how wonderful it would be for this family to finally have somewhere to live, so I worked long and hard. I really felt like every few minutes was making a huge difference ? that’s when work isn’t work anymore.?
Originally, Crosson ‘felt torn? about doing disaster relief work.
‘I wondered if we should really be fixing houses that are just going to be hit again and again by natural disasters that are going to become more frequent, or if we should be spending that money relocating people away from the ocean or financing renewable energy,? she explained. ‘When I posed the difficult question to a member of the organization we were working with ? ‘Why are we fixing houses that are just going to get destroyed again?? ? he answered, ‘God tells me to love my neighbor as they are, and if this is where these people want to be, I’m going to help make that happen for them.? And it just fell into place for me.
‘Most of the people affected by the hurricanes are attached to where they live ? this is their culture, the place that holds their heart, their home. Right then I understood why I was in Texas that week.?
Most of the sea turtle work Maslowsky did took place between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. each day on a beach in the National Wildlife Reserve of Camaronal in the Province of Guanacaste.
‘We would walk the beach (located on the Pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula) as a group to look for nesting turtles and to scare off poachers,? she said. ‘From what we are told the turtle eggs are a delicacy and valuable.?
Turtles lay hundreds of eggs at a time.
‘We watched the turtles nest, which takes about a half-hour to an hour,? Maslowsky said. ‘Then when they began laying the eggs, the workers would collect them to put in the nursery. They only did this if they felt the turtle did not dig a deep enough hole or the eggs were not safe in that location.?
During the day, Maslowsky’s group would walk the beach and clean up driftwood.
‘Driftwood prevents the turtles from nesting in certain locations and the beach had a lot of it,? she explained.
Her group also scraped, cleaned and painted the roofs of four buildings ? two belonging to the Camaronal Sea Turtle Project and two at a nearby school.
Besides working with turtles, Maslowsky got to visit a rain forest reserve in Monte Alto where she cleaned and repaired hiking paths.
‘The work here was tough,? she said. ‘It was hot and humid, and hard work using machetes to cut away overgrown vines and move fallen trees from paths. But in the end, we cleared three trails and helped out a lot.?
‘It was an unbelievable experience and I wished it never ended,? Maslowsky noted.
In the end, both Crosson and Maslowsky highly recommend other college students take advantage of alternative break programs.
‘It offers you an affordable way to travel, experience our nation and other nations, while learning the value of being a volunteer,? Maslowsky said. ‘I, myself, aim to participate in as many as I can in (the) years before I graduate.?
‘You’ll learn so much about yourself as an individual and as a part of a bigger picture,? Crosson said. ‘Nightly reflection lets you not only begin to process the day from your own perspective, but also learn about the experiences of your other group members. It’s incredible how much I learned on my alternative breaks just from listening to others? thoughts about their experiences on the trip.?
‘I recommend that everyone take part in alternative breaks. They’ll become addicted to service, and that’s what this world needs.?