Second-year public health student Michelle Slawinski will lead a group of 10 USC students along with a USC staff member on a volunteer trip to Merritt Island, Florida, over spring break. Slawinski and her peers will work with Sam's House, a conservation site covering over 900 acres.
"My group is giving back by helping Sam’s House with the main boardwalk project and then Xavier’s fence project," she said.
Slawinski hopes the trip helps to inspire a sense of social responsibility in her fellow volunteers.
"For this trip I am so eager to see my participants go from a member [or] volunteer of the community to an active citizen," she said. "I hope to see them want to be more involved in Columbia or their hometown social issues."
The trip is part of the Alternative Break program offered by the Leadership and Service Center, and Slawinski had to participate in training to head up one of the trips. Preparation ranged from recruiting students to come on the trip to coordinating with Sam's House and even making playlists for the van trip to Florida.
Heading into her third Alternative Break trip, Slawinski emphasized that they do more than just help the chosen volunteer cause.
"In general Alternative Breaks are a great way to break away from your daily life and really give back to a community that needs your help," she said. "These trips are not only for the organizations we serve but for you as well. They’re a fantastic way to meet new friends who share the same love for service, work toward finding the leader in you and having fun all at the same time."