For many students, fall break is an opportunity to go home for the first time during the school year or stay in Tuscaloosa and get ahead on schoolwork and studies. Some students however, use this opportunity to give back, travel and try things that time constraints may usually keep them from doing.
For students interested in spending time giving back, the Community Service Center offers an Alternative Break for students. Alternative Break is an opportunity for students to go to another community and engage in intensive service, said Wahnee Sherman, director of the Community Service Center.
“Alternative Break is a great way for students to give back to another community, whether in our state, in the region, or internationally,” Sherman said. “Students can spend their time off from classes in a productive way, engaging in meaningful service.”
The trip aims to inform students of issues other communities face, providing a broader view of community service.
“The Community Service Center has a large amount of community service opportunities for UA students that can connect them to Tuscaloosa,” Libby Loveless, student director of Alternative Break, said. “We also believe that students should experience other communities and cultures outside of Tuscaloosa. We facilitate these learning and service experiences so that students can get a taste of other places, especially the social issues that are prevalent in the locations.”
The Community Service Center expects about 20 students to participate in the fall Alternative Break, which will take place in Huntsville, Ala.
“We hope these students will build strong relationships with each other, learn more about other communities in Alabama, and make a difference in the communities we work in,” Sherman said.
For other students, fall break means a chance to catch up on schoolwork and catch a breath during the semester.
LaJoya Reed, a sophomore majoring in public relations, said she’s going to use her fall break to prepare for the end of the semester.
“I’ll be catching up on work and sleeping in,” Reed said. “I need to prepare myself for the coming weeks.”
Others are taking the rare break to relax and spend time doing things that students don’t always have time for with such busy schedules.
Malcolm Harper, a junior majoring in biology said he plans to spend his time relaxing.
“I’m going to a pajama party, and we’re going to watch Netflix,” he said.
For some students, fall break means adventures for which there would otherwise not be time.
Erin Smith, a sophomore majoring in history, will be going to the beach during fall break and then skydiving on the way home, something she and her friends have all wanted to check off their to-do list.
“My friends and I wanted to try something adventurous, and it’s something we’ve all always wanted to do,” Smith said. “There’s a place in Cullman that offers student and group discounts that we’ll be able to take advantage of.”
