Students travel to Mexico for service trip

Alyssa Alvarez, Sports Editor
April 7, 2015

Convent of the Sacred Heart and Stuart Hall students and faculty, joined by a group from Duchesne Academy from Omaha, participated in the Mexico Service Immersion Trip over Spring Break, where they provided service and assistance to impoverished families.
Students stayed in a compound with their host families in downtown Tecuanipan, Mexico and teachers were placed in a home on the outskirts of town.
“Having running water and having a toilet that flushes is a huge privilege because my host family didn’t have either,” Junior Maris Winslow said. “It opened my eyes because we are all so privileged and we have so much compared to these people.”
The group visited a town called Cholula, Mexico where they spent two days at a school for the blind and learned braille. Students additionally helped with chores around the school, including taking apart and putting together wheeled chairs, according to Junior Anton Kozlova.
“This trip allowed me to see what goes beyond the lines tourism and what people want us to see in a country,” Kozlova said.
Students and faculty worked on a farm owned by the non-profit Community Links, which was the organization hosting the trip. They completed tasks such as digging trenches, weeding, building a new building, playing soccer and tutoring children in English, according to Religious Studies Teacher Dr. Rachel Bundang.
“I felt like I was getting more out of my donation by actually seeing the people who I am affecting,” Winslow said. “Seeing how they lived made me feel as though I was making a difference.”
Groups were also assigned host families and students and teachers helped their families with their everyday jobs and tasks, according to Bundang.
“The mom in my family runs a roadside juice stand and we would get up at 5 a.m. and help her press the juice,” Bundang said. “Then I would also walk with her on her route through town to her regular customers.”
Host families were given with necessary toiletries and food, as gratitude for allowing students to stay with them, according to Winslow.
“Coming from a place like Convent, it’s really important to recognize the degree of privilege we have living in a place like this and seeing the impact of poverty globally,” Bundang said. “It’s really important for students to be exposed to things they would not see here.”

Alyssa Alvarez
Senior Reporter

Convent of the Sacred Heart and Stuart Hall students and faculty, joined by a group from Duchesne Academy from Omaha, participated in the Mexico Service Immersion Trip over Spring Break, where they provided service and assistance to impoverished families.

Students stayed in a compound with their host families in downtown Tecuanipan, Mexico and teachers were placed in a home on the outskirts of town.

“Having running water and having a toilet that flushes is a huge privilege because my host family didn’t have either,” Junior Maris Winslow said. “It opened my eyes because we are all so privileged and we have so much compared to these people.”

The group visited a town called Cholula, Mexico where they spent two days at a school for the blind and learned braille. Students additionally helped with chores around the school, including taking apart and putting together wheeled chairs, according to Junior Anton Kozlova.

“This trip allowed me to see what goes beyond the lines tourism and what people want us to see in a country,” Kozlova said.

Students and faculty worked on a farm owned by the non-profit Community Links, which was the organization hosting the trip. They completed tasks such as digging trenches, weeding, building a new building, playing soccer and tutoring children in English, according to Religious Studies Teacher Dr. Rachel Bundang.

“I felt like I was getting more out of my donation by actually seeing the people who I am affecting,” Winslow said. “Seeing how they lived made me feel as though I was making a difference.”

Groups were also assigned host families and students and teachers helped their families with their everyday jobs and tasks, according to Bundang.

“The mom in my family runs a roadside juice stand and we would get up at 5 a.m. and help her press the juice,” Bundang said. “Then I would also walk with her on her route through town to her regular customers.”

Host families were given with necessary toiletries and food, as gratitude for allowing students to stay with them, according to Winslow.

“Coming from a place like Convent, it’s really important to recognize the degree of privilege we have living in a place like this and seeing the impact of poverty globally,” Bundang said. “It’s really important for students to be exposed to things they would not see here.”