Jennifer Palmer makes a difference during Alternative Spring Break

2018 Mar 30

Dozens of Rochester Institute of Technology students worked on community projects in Costa Rica, Texas and Florida during spring break.

Jennifer Palmer , a fifth-year industrial engineering major from Madison, Conn., was one of 12 RIT students to travel to Costa Rica, where they worked in the small community of Gandoca. The remote community of about 260 residents—about a 5½-hour bus ride from the airport in San José—worked on a small communal farm, where they planted pineapples and plantains and harvested yucca. They also visited a school, where they taught children some words in English and American Sign Language, Palmer said. And the group also spent time on the beach, clearing debris so protected sea turtles wouldn’t be impeded when they came out of the water to lay their eggs. “I liked learning about different cultures and seeing how we can help them, even from afar, by doing things like reducing the plastic that we use,” Palmer said.

RIT students have participated in Alternative Spring Break community projects for more than 10 years, said Kerry Foxx, director of RIT's Center for Leadership & Civic Affairs, which helped organize the trips for more than 30 students this year.

"Alternative Spring Break is a learning opportunity for us," Foxx said. "It's a chance to teach students how they can have an impact on different countries around the world and to get to interact with people from those communities. It fits in with RIT's mission to create global citizens."