MH
Ma' kiah Holliday
  • human-computer interaction
  • Class of 2021
  • Liberty Twp, OH

Makiah Holliday 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.

Makiah Holliday spent part of her spring break on a Florida beach. But instead of relaxing in the sand, she and 10 other RIT students spread buckets of limestone rocks along the Gulf of Mexico in Florida’s panhandle to help prevent shoreline erosion. “I love to help people,” said Holliday, a third-year psychology major from Liberty Township, Ohio. “Why not be productive during my break? Being able to help people is very powerful to me.” Her group also spent time at the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center in East Freeport, Fla., which promotes animal conservation through educational, hands-on experience for young children. They spread gravel in driveways, planted items around animal enclosures and removed netting on the main building and replaced it with sticks.

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."