Alternative Spring Break '05 Rollins College Students Spend Spring Break Doing Construction in Puerto Rico

April 25, 2005

While many college students spend spring break on a sunny beach, a group of 16 Rollins students and two faculty headed to Puerto Rico for an alternative spring break. The group spent the week assisting with construction in a rural village during SPN215F: Community Service Field Study: Puerto Rico. Students had "the opportunity to work on a construction project, but more importantly will be given the opportunity to interact with community members, sharing in meaningful cultural exchange," according to the course description.

Professor of Modern Languages Rosa Diaz-Zambrana and Director of Multicultural Affairs Donna Lee headed up the group of students from various majors and ages. "The diversity is what made it possible," Rosa said. "Everyone had different, legitimate reasons to go, and the students really came together as a group."

The students stayed in a small house with no television or air conditioning, crammed four to a room. They slept on bunk beds with no ladders, and shared one bathroom with no hot water and in which they could not flush paper.

Rosa emphasized the students' teamwork on the last day of the trip, when they were planning a BBQ for the group. Through some miscommunication, many of the local villagers ended up coming, nearly doubling the number of people they were expected to feed. Working together, the students regrouped and held a successful BBQ in less than 30 minutes' prep time.

Founded in 1885, Rollins College is Florida's oldest recognized college, and is consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of "America's best colleges." Its Crummer Graduate School of Business was recently ranked by Forbes magazine among the nation's top 25 regional business schools. For more information about Rollins, visit our Web site at http://www.rollins.edu/.