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Hamilton students travel the nation with Alternative Spring Break

By Emma Ritz ’20

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After midterm season, most Hamilton students were glad to take a step back from the academic rigor of college life and head back home. More than 100 students, however, ventured off campus to work with charitable organizations through the Alternative Spring Break program, scattering them all over the US.

The program began in 1993, and in its first year 20 students went to Miami to help clean up after Hurricane Andrew. From that point on, Hamilton has established a tradition of sending students off to perform charitable work over the break. Typically it has sent 10 groups off to work with a diverse set of charitable causes. In the past, students have traveled to Louisiana with Habitat for Humanity, Philadelphia with Urban Tree Connections and many other locations. 

This year, student-led groups travelled throughout the United States, taking part in various projects ranging from constructing homes with Habitat for Humanity in South Carolina to agricultural and education-based programs throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Programs took place during either of the weeks of break. ASB is run by its own student executive board that cooperates with the COOP to organize and implement trips and programming each year. Students who participate in the program every year tend to say it leaves them with a sense of fulfillment and purpose with a greater appreciation for philanthropy both at Hamilton and in general.  

Many people find the experience extremely impactful. AlMahdi Mahil ’20 was part of a group going to Baltimore to learn about the city and work with a handful of organizations committed to helping the local populace. He says, “It felt like we were actually doing something…we were building flower beds one day, helping kids do their homework the next, we were doing all of these community projects around Baltimore. It was very interesting and it gave us a perspective over what our lives are like. The two sides of Baltimore are supremely different. It’s separated by a thin harbor—and the difference in the socioeconomic status, the difference in the culture, the difference in the people was stark, and it brought back to us that this wasn’t just a volunteer trip, it was also a learning trip, and it did end up being a great learning experience for me.”

Mahil reflects back on his experience saying, “I would most definitely do ASB again…I can confidently say, as cliché as it sounds, that it did change my life.” Next year, for the 25th time, students will be offered the opportunity to embrace their charitable inclinations and desire to travel by taking part in this program. Since its origins in ’93, ASB has certainly become a wide-reaching and important program at Hamilton. 

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