Dickinson students, faculty and staff traveled to Georgia, South Carolina or Louisiana to take part in a service trip through the Center for Service, Spirituality and Social Justice (CS3).

This year, the spring break service trips took place from March 9-17. According to the service trips page on the Dickinson website, the trips “provide an incredible opportunity for students to gain leadership experience while volunteering alongside domestic and international communities,” and exposes students, faculty and staff to new experiences.

In the weeks leading up to the trips, students who planned to take part in a service trip sold fair trade chocolate and popcorn to raise money. 

Jessica Scarlett ’22 went to Sea Island, S.C., to work with Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit housing construction organization, for the week of spring break. “I found it incredibly valuable…I loved getting to know everyone else on the trip and I would definitely do another one,” she said. 

Wallis Grant ’20 has previously participated in a service trip with Dickinson to Laos over the winter break of her sophomore year. She said after having a great experience overseas, she wanted to take part in a domestic service trip. Grant went to Americus, Ga., to build and repair homes for families who “are unable to obtain adequate housing through conventional means” with the nonprofit organization Fuller Center for Housing. 

“Specifically, we worked on two different houses…in the same process of drywall and mudding, so we were putting up drywall, sanding down the walls and plastering so the inside walls could be painted,” Grant said.  

While building the houses was a fulfilling task, Grant said she was grateful for the chance to engage with the recipients of the houses they were working on. “I most appreciated that the recipients of the houses worked alongside us. As we were figuring out our jobs and responsibilities, [the recipients of the houses] were with us, helping us and also asking questions,” she said.

Madi McIntyre ’22 also went to Americus to work with the Fuller Center for Housing.

“The experience was life-changing. We really got to work with the single mother and people in the community…as well as learn their stories and share our own. We made life-long bonds with so many different people and organizations in Americus as well as with each other,” she said.

McIntyre said she felt as though her experience in Georgia extended beyond doing service. “I gained a whole new perspective and appreciation Dickinson, and the opportunities I’ve been given throughout my life. I strongly recommend everyone to experience a service trip at some point in their careers at Dickinson,” she said.