Spring break is the official halfway mark for the semester. Instead of the traditional week off from classes in which students vacation somewhere warm or just somewhere that isn’t the Gannon campus, several students and faculty spent their spring break participating in alternative service trips, in which faculty had the opportunity to help others in their chosen location.
This year’s locations were New York City; New Orleans; Immokalee, Fla.; and Honduras.
While the locations the students and faculty were sent to are all well known for their vacation appeal, everyone who participated in the trips were there for a more important purpose: to learn the value of service and faith.
We here at The Gannon Knight believe that our entire campus community should take the opportunity to step out of our college bubble and recognize the struggles that people face in the real world.
It’s so easy for us to get caught up in our lives, where we may be feeling like our biggest worry is getting an A on an upcoming exam, trying to find a summer job or maybe even the reality of graduation.
In all truth, in impoverished countries and even in cities right here in the United States, the struggles that people battle are easily far worse than anything we deal with on a regular basis.
We should all do our part to participate in some sort of service project to provide perspective into someone else’s life. This means more than picking up litter on the side of the road for half an hour to get service credit for a class – participate in something that will be a challenge to you, even if it’s a bit out of your comfort zone.
It really is crucial to be aware of what’s going on both in the world and locally, in more than just a sense of turning on the morning news. So instead of a day where you would normally relax and take time to yourself, take that time and use it to help someone else – you’ll have an instant feeling of gratification.
You’re only as good as you feel, both internally and externally.