In Their Words

Alternative Spring Break - Puerto Rico

This past week I joined nine others from Norwich for the Alternative Spring Break in Puerto Rico where we were able to do many hours of community service along with exploring the island and its culture. The biggest thing I noticed throughout the trip was the fact that many mainland United States citizens do not fully understand what Puerto Rico is in relation to the nation overall. When I went out to eat with my Tio Miguel, a native of Puerto Rico, he asked me how mainland Americans’ view the statehood debate. I had to answer that as far as I’ve witnessed that the issue of statehood, or even Puerto Rico in general outside of being a vacation location, is very rarely thought about or discussed. For example, when purchasing a souvenir, one of the students presented a U.S. dollar and asked, “Is it okay if I pay in U.S.... Read more →

Blood Drive

Last semester, I tried to donate blood but my iron levels were too low so I ended up volunteering instead. For this semester’s Blood Drive I signed up to volunteer right off the bat through the Center for Civic engagement. The biggest incentive to participate is being excused from Army PT on Friday morning. That extra hour of sleep makes a biiig difference in my day. I was helping at the Canteen station where my rook brother and I cooked hot dogs to serve those who just donated blood. It’s important for everyone to sit and eat some food to ensure no one passes out from the loss of blood. There was a great turn out and it's nice knowing that our university's efforts will help so many people. Read more →

A quick semester

It's crazy to think that Spring Break is just around the corner! This break marks the halfway point of the semester. On the plus side, this means there’s only one semester left until the Summer. On the down side, that means midterms are right around the corner. Luckily, most of my classes aren’t having the midterms in exam form, but rather in the form of essays and projects. For my Spring break, I will be going to Puerto Rico on a service trip with a group of students from Norwich through the Center for Civic engagement's Alternative Spring Break. I am very excited since I have puerto rican roots. Although half of my family lives in Puerto Rico, I haven’t visited in over eight years because of the constant issues from the Zika virus to high crime rates. I can’t wait to have this opportunity to do a part in... Read more →