While students at the University plan to vacation for spring break, some students have elected to participate in alternative plans.
Clara Cagle, a junior majoring in public relations, is focusing her break on community service through the University’s Center for Service and Leadership, which sponsors two trips over the break to Memphis, Tennessee, and Orange Beach, Alabama.
Cagle, who is going on the Orange Beach trip, looks forward to the opportunities to serve the beach-going community.
“We’re doing beach cleanups and spending a day helping a food pantry in Mobile,” she said.
Serving the community is not the only highlight of the Center for Service and Leadership’s spring break trips. Cagle’s desire to establish relationships with people from different backgrounds is a primary motivator for her to go on this trip.
”Creating a relationship with the people on the trip is a fun thing because I would never meet the people going on the trip otherwise,” Cagle said.
Despite this not being a typical vacation, the CSL provides a space for fun while also making an impact on the communities its visits during the break.
“We have a day where we will go on trails and go to the beach, and those going on the Memphis trip set aside a day to go to a Grizzlies game,” Cagle said.
Other students, like Ryan Wilhelm, a graduate student getting his degree in criminology and criminal justice, plan on utilizing the break to get ahead on their schoolwork as the semester comes to a close.
“I’m going to try and finish the rest of my thesis while I’m not at work,” Wilhelm said.
When he has free time over the break, Wilhelm intends to take advantage of the local activities that Tuscaloosa has to offer.
“PopStroke is fun, and I really like going to the river along Jack Warner Parkway,” Wilhelm said. “I also like going to the bars and sitting with my friends and having conversations.”
Taylor Meggs, a junior majoring in psychology, is taking advantage of the smaller workforce at her part-time job in town.
“I am taking all the hours I can get. It’s a great time to get some extra cash,” Meggs said.
Similarly to Wilhelm, Meggs also plans to spend time at some popular local spots.
“I love to go to Lake Nicol to tan. The weather is supposed to be nice, so I’m hoping to get out there and lay out,” Meggs said.
There are various alternatives to spending spring break vacationing, and students on campus intend to capitalize on a well-deserved break from school in their own way.
