Spring Break 2014. Some went home.  Some went to the beach.  Some stayed on campus.  And some went on spring break trips, participating in a wide variety of activities ranging from volunteering to performing to playing frisbee. Wes took the country by storm, traveling to places with exotic state birds such as the pelican, the brown thrasher, and the lark bunting. Take a look at what some of your friends were up to:

ServeUp trip to New Orleans

The Wesleyan chapter of ServeUp traveled to New Orleans to help rebuild communities and work with Katrina victims. ServeUp is a program under InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, a network of campus ministries. Stacy Uchendu ‘17 graciously educated me about their experience.

The purpose of the trip, in addition to rebuilding, was to explore the relationship between social justice and faith for Christians and non-Christians alike. Eighteen Wes students were part of a larger group of 300 university students who worked in the Lower Ninth Ward, one of the hardest-hit areas of the city.  Some students built a whole house in three days for the St. Bernard Project.  Others painted houses in cheerful colors to brighten up the community.  A third group worked on a community garden at Our School at Blair Grocery (check it out! Blair Grocery rocks).

The students found it rewarding to work as a team and make closer friendships with their peers.  They learned from the perspectives of the Lower Ninth Ward residents: it is hard to believe that nine years post-Katrina, there is still so much to rebuild.  In addition, they were grateful for others’ openness to discussing faith without judgement.

Back on campus, the students hope to bring more attention to ServeUp, for people of all faiths or no faith, for those who just want to learn about social justice, or for those who want to go to NOLA.