I decided to spend my 2024 spring break volunteering abroad with Buck-I-SERV in partnership with the Medici Project and the CTG Foundation. I traveled with a group of buckeyes to El Tránsito, Nicaragua. We painted a church, helped at a construction site for a school, worked alongside the local school’s staff to distribute meals to students, made a lot of friends, and experienced the rich Nicaraguan culture.

My experience volunteering and traveling abroad was invaluable to my development as a person, professional and world citizen. I used to study Spanish and Latin American culture in my coursework, but nothing compares to the real experience. Throughout every facet of the trip, I found myself surprised. I learned that the language barrier is a lot less steep than I thought it would be. I learned how water plays a central role in daily life. I learned that I was a much more sociable and valued member of our group than I had thought I would be. Above all, I learned how important it is to develop relationships.

Every aspect of the trip was in some way, shape, or form transformational. We faced several obstacles during our travel that brought us closer together. Our travel itinerary included flying from Columbus to Philadelphia to Miami to Managua. With several flights meant several opportunities for delays or complications. A storm delayed our flight from Philadelphia to Miami several hours. After landing in Miami just minutes after our flight to Managua was scheduled, we ran to the gate and the flight was eventually delayed so that we had enough time to ensure our tickets and baggage were accounted for. In addition to the delays, my suitcase was unfortunately not properly transferred to the flight and was left in Miami, leaving me without clothing, sunscreen, or supplies for about a day. The complications, though unideal, brought us closer together. I remember during our extended layover in Philadelphia, our leaders were figuring things out while we found a table to talk about our feelings and get to know each other a little better. We even started playing some Euchre to lighten the mood. We learned to have faith in our leaders, to communicate our feelings, stay positive, lean in on each other for support, and to make the best of every moment.

Once we entered Nicaraguan airspace, there were so many things that I found fascinating. During the descent I couldn’t help but notice that the city was decorated with industrial orange lights instead of the blue or yellow lights that I’m typically used to seeing in the US. I wasn’t sure what I thought Central America would look like, but it felt like a completely different world. Also, for being the capital city, I was surprised to see a smaller airport with minimal staff, though the time could have impacted my outlook. The time had me very confused. My watch read 12 a.m. but with the time changes it was actually 1 a.m. back home and 11PM local. I was very excited to have finally made it out of the country, but we still had a lot of traveling to do. As soon as we stepped off the aircraft, I couldn’t help but feel a wall of night heat and take in a pungent smell that was reminiscent of burnt rubber. The smell never dissipated, and I later found out that it was likely due to the hot sun, industrial businesses, and volcanic activity in the area. Our next task was to go through immigration. I was very surprised to see how strict their immigration services were. We had to fill out a form that specified our locations and dates of travel, our total worth of belongings, and an in-country contact among other interesting questions. I was also very surprised that immigrants must purchase a tourism pass using a crisp $10 bill. After passing through immigration and picking up our luggage (and insuring mine would be arranged for return) we went through security that was very minimal and didn’t seem to be sensitive to moderate volumes of liquid. Being my first time out of the country, it was an eye-opening experience going through immigration and it made me wonder how the US immigration system compares and why it might differ.

After getting through the airport, we met with our in-country contacts. We loaded our luggage into a large, white-paneled van and a safari jeep decorated in zebra stripes. I remember riding in the back of the jeep, looking out the window, and being in awe of the environment. I saw large billboards and ads everywhere; the roads were scattered with cars, people, and pets. As we entered the countryside, I remember getting on a stone road and being on it for a long time, making it difficult to sleep. I was so tired from our travel, but I kept my eyes glued out the window because I didn’t want to miss anything. I saw mountains, valleys of city lights, and many ranches sparsely scattered with colorful houses, horses, and cattle. After a while we arrived at our destination: the Sacred Sand Hostel. We entered the open concept white-plastered building and it seemed so luxurious. Before we were assigned rooms, we had a meeting outside as to not wake the other residents. I remember hearing the subtle roar of the ocean while our trip leader advised us not to drink the tap water, venture anywhere alone, or flush any paper products. After we were assigned our rooms and we settled in, we concluded our first night in Nicaragua with some much-needed rest.

I remember waking up to the loud horn of a bus taking students and workers to Managua. As I begun to get motivated, I was greeted by the hot, bright morning sun, colorful birds squawking, and the sound of the townspeople socializing. It was such a happy moment for me. As time progressed, I learned to spend every morning like that one just sitting and enjoying the nature and people around me.

There were so many events that happened in each day that made the trip seem much longer than it was. I remember learning to surf, swimming in a tide pool, eating fresh food, traveling to Leon, making friends with our group and the locals, and doing meaningful work. We took about two days to paint a new church before the start of the rainy season. We spent a day at the construction site for a trade school further inland where we painted a metal fence to prevent rusting, as well as mixed concrete on the ground, moved several 90lb cinder blocks by hand, and helped with the construction of a well. I had no idea how a well was built or what went into mixing concrete, so it was a very valuable learning experience. We also had the opportunity to volunteer at the local grade school where we helped in the kitchen by serving food and doing dishes. We interacted with the students and staff there were we had a few good laughs and smiles. In all though, we had a really great time working together and making friends with each other and the locals.

In addition to relationships, I think reflecting with our group every night had an invaluable impact on making sure we were all on the same page. I surprised myself during these meetings in what I was able to realize and contribute. I typically asked thought-provoking, action-oriented questions and had the phrase “What would Mason ask?” named after me. For example, there was one experience where we felt uncomfortable touring a local’s home without having the chance to talk to her. So, during reflection that night I brought up the idea that we should wright a card to thank her for letting us in her home. During the last night of our stay, we worked with each other and our local friends to write the card and ensure she got the message of our appreciation. In all, I was very thankful for my experiences and will always remember my time in Nicaragua.

My experience in Nicaragua has had an invaluable impact on my life. I realized how privileged I was attending a very good school in a good country with good living conditions and opportunities. I had the chance to reflect on my career path and what is meaningful to me. I was originally involved in undergraduate research where I was doing work with protein purification for biopharmaceuticals. After volunteering, I realized that what I was doing wasn’t meaningful to me. I decided to resign from my position in the lab, do more volunteering work, and focus on my relationship building. I also started a journal to reflect in because I saw how valuable it was during my week abroad to set new goals and find the joy in little things. As far as my professional goals are concerned, I want to do more work with water because I saw firsthand how much value it held. I definitely plan on going on more Buck-I-SERV trips in the future and will start recommending the option to my friends.

For my STEP project, I participated in the BuckiServ trip to Guatemala. We worked with Constru Casa, an organization that builds simple houses for impoverished families, to construct a house for a family. We spent five days on site, mixing cement by hand, digging trenches, laying blocks and by the time we left, the house was mostly completed. 

Poverty takes on a different meaning depending on where you are in the world. In the U.S, families are considered impoverished if they have a yearly income below $30,000. In Guatemala, I learned that some families only live on 200 quetzales a day, which roughly translates to $10,500 per year. It’s astounding that they can survive on this little. And these families aren’t small either; most have three or four kids at least. In addition, Guatemala doesn’t have any form of disability or retirement support like the U.S does, so people have no choice but to keep working every day or risk starving. The young and the elderly also pitch in however they can, whether that be manual labor or selling trinkets. It’s kind of heart-breaking seeing elementary school kids working when they should be in school or playing with their friends. But that’s the only life they know and they can’t imagine doing anything else. 

The family we built a house for had four sons, two of which went to school. The mother and children would walk hours every day to get to school; all in the hope that it would lead to a better future. Kids in the U.S think of school as a prison, but to the kids in Guatemala, school is when they can actually act their age and have fun. Outside of school, it’s responsibilities and what else they can do to support their family. 

And these responsibilities can be dangerous too. During one of our days off, we took a boat across Lake Atitlan. The workers operating the boat were young boys, probably in their early teens. Even though the boat had life jackets, it’s still a huge responsibility they had to carry ferrying people across a giant lake. One wrong move and the whole boat could go down. 

Despite all the hardships, the Guatemalan people go about their day cheerfully and with good humor. People would greet total strangers in the streets and wish each other a pleasant day. That’s not something that’s common in the U.S. They work hard and go home to a good night’s rest knowing they did their best. 

It’s led me to realize that my life in the U.S is amazing compared to the lives most kids in Guatemala live. My family may not be rich, but at least we have enough to live comfortably. This trip was a valuable lesson on being grateful and working hard, as cliche as that sounds. I’m applying for vet school next year and while it’s hard, it can’t be as difficult as mixing concrete all day. Yes, it’ll be disappointing to be rejected, but at least I still have something to look forward to. Most Guatemalans don’t look forward to anything except their next paycheck. 

This experience also encouraged me to give it my all when it comes to my studies. If all else fails, I may have to turn to manual labor to make ends meet. There’s no shame in that, but I’d rather avoid it since I’ve experienced first hand how taxing it is both mentally and physically. 

My project was a Buck-I-Serv trip over Spring break 2024 to Guatemala. While in Guatemala we partnered with Constru Casa, a non-profit that builds houses for families living in poverty. We worked alongside 3 local masons during our week there to perform a lot of construction work and manual labor to create a cinder block house for a young family of 5.

As someone who has traveled a lot growing up I don’t typically feel drastic culture shock in new places like this. I really enjoy new experiences and getting to interact with people living very different lives to my own. However, something that really stuck with me in Guatemala was the lack of innocence that the children possess. Many of them were walking the streets selling goods and trying to help their families early in the morning and late at night. These children were very young and if they were living in the US would have surely been in school or daycare or at home during these times. In addition a lot of the children we saw were living in impoverished areas with little to eat and no clean water to drink. We learned that 1 in 10 children in Guatemala die of a water-born illness because of this. This left us all with a deep sense of gratitude for the safety and security we had as children and still have as young adults in the US.

On the flip-side I was enthralled by the generosity and joy that the people in Guatemala had. Despite the circumstances and setbacks they were facing they were kind and friendly when we interacted on the streets, in markets, at restaurants, on the worksite. The town center was always lively. The people were proud to be Guatemalan, but above all they were hardworking people who were able to make the best of what they had and find ways to do better for themselves. I think this attitude was very encouraging and inspiring and made me want to work harder in the things I do and make sure I’m not taking for granted a lot of the opportunities I’ve been given.

One of the interactions that really stuck with me was when a group member of ours got sick and our host mother essentially dropped everything to take care of him while he was home from the worksite and made him food specifically for him. She had no hesitation and told us it was because he was her son now. She really embodied this generous spirit and modeled the way we should all try and take care of others. In addition, when we were on the worksite the family whose house we were building were there with their children everyday. The children were so eager to help and it made it that much more exciting and impactful to be a part of something that would be changing their lives. The oldest son (about 8 years old) would return from home and immediately try and grab a shovel to help mix concrete because they were so desperate to help and be a part of the action. 

I think that all of these interactions and experiences on the trip have changed my perspective and outlook on life. It’s emboldened me to look for new ways to serve others and take care of the community around me, which I’m excited to pursue further with potential internships with.

My STEP Signature Project was a service trip to Harlingen, Texas to work with Culture of Life Ministries, a free medical clinic that provides medical services to the Harlingen community.  During the week volunteering at the clinic, I assisted in multiple different areas, such as taking patient vitals, shadowing the doctors and nurses, helping with patient check-in, and calling pharmacies to fill prescriptions.  Through all of these activities, the main focus was on meeting the community and people of Harlingen.

One of my assumptions that was changed during this project was through the patient-provider relationship.  One of my assumptions about healthcare was it was very problem-solving focused.  It was the idea that when a patient came in with a medical problem, the focus was mainly on the problem and not on the patient.  Watching the doctors (and even the nurses and volunteers) at the clinic over the week, I realized how important building a relationship with each patient was, and how the relationship is more than just treating a patient’s medical problem.

Another result of this STEP Signature Project was a change in understanding myself.  I would watch these doctors, nurses, and volunteers interact with patients, and I realized that I can sometimes be too focused on fixing problems and being efficient.  In the process, that sometimes means that I neglect some of my soft skills, especially when it comes to building a relationship and connecting with each patient on a personal level.  Through the week, I learned how to “slow down” in a sense and be able to learn about patients wholistically and see them as a person, instead of just trying to help with their medical problems.

One of the events and interactions that helped me to see that sometimes I can be very focused on efficiency was when I was working on the administration side of things and helping check-in and triage.  That was one of the first days in the clinic, so I hadn’t really had an opportunity to shadow the doctors or interact much with the patients.  About halfway through the day, I started getting worried about the speed that the doctor was seeing the patients.  When I was talking with another trip participant at the end of the day, they were talking about how inspiring it was to shadow Dr. Robinson and how he was so easily able to connect with each patient, learn about them, and be able to reassure them.

The next day helped me to better understand the importance of a patient-provider relationship.  I had the opportunity to shadow the doctor for a little bit, and I was in awe watching how at ease and how Dr. Robinson truly cared for each and every one of the patients that walked through his clinic doors.  There were some patients that he had seen before, and he would ask about how their job, family, life, etc. was going and somehow remembered conversations and life stories of these patients from the last time that he saw them.  For other patients that he hadn’t seen before, he was able to learn so much about them in a short time, and learn about their life, fears, and worries.  I saw that he truly cared about the people he saw.  I think that those people also saw that, and that was one of the reasons they were able to open up to him so much and feel comfortable and reassured by him.

Another interaction was our visit to a nursing home.  Dr. Robinson (one of the doctors at Culture of Life Ministries) regularly goes to this nursing home to make house calls for the residents.  We went with him on one of his house calls, and seeing the joy of the residents when we visited was something I’ll always remember.  One of the ladies kept saying how happy she was that we came to visit, and we spent the morning with some of the residents.  We didn’t need to do anything and there was nothing that we could do or problem solve, we just sat, ate, and talked with them.  Seeing how happy they were that we were there and just being us, helped me to realize that sometimes patients just need someone to be a person to them and to see them as a person.

This change is valuable for my life, because I believe that the skills I’ve learned can be applied no matter where I end up in life.  Being able to know when to prioritize efficiency versus when I need to take a step back and focus on an individual as a whole, would be important in any job or relationship that I might find myself in.  Additionally, one of my professional goals is to go to pharmacy school and to become a pharmacist.  This better understanding of the importance of developing a patient relationship and knowing building my soft skills will be invaluable in patient interactions.

For my STEP Signature Project, I had the opportunity to spend a week in Nicaragua on a Buck-I-SERV trip. Buck-I-SERV partnered with the CTG foundation and the Medici Project. The aim of the trip was to work on service projects with the overarching goal to provide access to clean water for the people living in the area. We helped paint the church nearby, helped serve children breakfast at school, and spent time on a work site where a school will be built.

During my trip, my views and assumptions were challenged and changed each day I spent there. I have never had the opportunity to experience different cultures anywhere in the world, so this trip was very eye-opening for me. The trip made me realize how many things I take for granted that other people worry about every day. Water is necessary for life, and it is unfortunately very limited in many other parts of the world. 

My views continued to change throughout the week. At the beginning of the week, I felt sorry for the people who lived there. However, as the week went on, and I was able to talk with people at the hostel and in the town, I realized it comes down to cultural differences and different access to resources. Their lives are seemingly harder to outsiders because outsiders are accustomed to a certain way of life. However, the residents are used to working with the resources they have. The culture is also different in that it is not solely career focused. It made me reflect on how much career plays a role in America, and I have reflected on the issue of working to live versus living to work. 

My favorite part of the trip was building relationships with the people who lived in Nicaragua. I spoke minimal Spanish, but still managed to decently communicate with the people who lived there. At the hostel we stayed at, there were three younger boys who worked there. I heard about their day-to-day lives and learned a lot about their cultures. We walked with them to the convenience stores, and I tried their favorite snacks. They told us about their favorite hobbies like soccer, baseball, and surfing. Some evenings after service, we would surf. Other times, we would kick around a soccer ball or build a puzzle. Everyone else at the hostel was very welcoming and open as well. They would tell us about their culture and welcome us into their world for the week. One night, we even went to see the community soccer game. 

Two of the days we were there, we went to the school close by and helped prepare and serve the food for breakfast. This was one of my favorite service events we did on the trip. I really enjoy working with kids, and so it was nice to interact with the children there. It was much different from an American school. The children in Nicaragua attend school for half the day, and they receive one meal while they are there. The kitchen has just a few ladies preparing the same meal for every child. We were told that many children go to school for the meal because they always know they will be fed at school. It was really rewarding to see the children. They seemed very surprised by us and a few of them were practicing English with me. 

Aside from the service, it was enjoyable to learn about the daily lives of residents there. As I mentioned before, my biggest takeaway from the experience was understanding the differences in the work-life balance between America and Nicaragua. There wasn’t the same emphasis on career there compared to here. In America, a career is part of everyone’s identity. In Nicaragua, many people enjoyed other hobbies like surfing. My last morning there, I talked with the cofounder of the CTG Foundation, Stu,  when he was at the hostel. I learned a lot about his journey from talking to him. He went to school for engineering and ended up living in Nicaragua working for a nonprofit. At the end of the conversation, he told me how sometimes it is hard for him to see his friends from college living in big houses and driving expensive cars. Then he continued and said, “ but I get the ocean and the sunset”. That stuck with me, and I think it will stick with me for a very long time. Different people value different things. While Stu may not have the life he expected, he loves what he does and sees the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. 

This experience will forever be something so valuable to me. When I was deciding what to use my STEP money for, I looked at many different types of service trips. This trip stood out to me because of the foundations that Buck-I-SERV paired with. The CTG foundation’s goal is to provide access to clean water. They want to help developing countries with water because water is essential for life. Clean water opens up so many more options like better education, hygiene, and economic growth. However, ultimately, clean water leads to better health. After I graduate from Ohio State, I hope to move on to medical school and have a career in medicine. I am passionate about helping others, so I knew this experience would help me use this passion with an indirect connection to health and medicine. 

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For my STEP project I spent my spring break in Kona, Big Island, Hawaii getting PADI Open Water Scuba Diving certified, PADI Dive Against Debris Specialty certified, and Coral Watch- Coral Health specialty certified with Kohala Divers and GIVE volunteers. When I wasn’t diving, I was learning about Hawaiian culture from our local Hawaiian guides and learning how we can promote sustainable travel and conservation in our daily lives and spread the message when we go home.

While Hawaii is one of the most beautiful locations to visit in the United States and the world, the Hawaiian culture and land are sacred but becoming scarce due to tourism. Having the opportunity to travel to Hawaii while taking the time to learn about the history, and culture and being able to help clean up the ocean was life-changing and brought a different kind of spark out of myself. A small group of us traveled from all over the world to stay on a sustainable farm to spend hours in a dive shop classroom learning about coral, hours training in a pool, and hours in the ocean. Having this opportunity to travel and learn while not feeling invasive or disruptive opened my eyes to the power of friendship, change, sustainable travel, and education.

In terms of self-growth, I put a lot of things in my life into perspective while on this trip. I struggled early on to get scuba-certified as I was anxious about breathing underwater and not being able to swim up whenever I wanted. In the beginning, I was constantly trying to plan a way out of diving, but eventually, I came to the realization that I am physically and mentally able to do this challenge it’s just a matter of whether I want to give up or not. Translating this to real life, I think challenges can come at us fast and we often want to “swim up” to avoid it or get out of the situation because we are afraid and do not want to face the challenge at hand. This project helped me face my fears and showed me how I can positively challenge myself to achieve new things.

I learned a lot about our oceans on our fourth day of diving as we got our PADI Dive Against Debris Specialty certification. This dive was a shore dive so we only went about 15 feet deep right off the beach searching for trash for 50 minutes. With only 9 people we found over 200 pieces of trash examples being aluminum cans, spark plugs, glasses, car keys, fishing lines, etc. In such a small area we gathered so much yet only scraped the surface in cleaning up.

I saw first-hand bleaching coral, broken coral, so much trash, fishing lines wrapped tightly around coral, etc. When people talk about ocean and coral conservation, I always just assume that it was affected by the people living near the oceans and overall climate change. I never thought about the impact I make despite living in a landlocked state. I was floored to know just how terrible we are treating our oceans and marine life and how much of a decline the ocean health path is on.

Friendship is something that looking back on was there from the start. All of us on this trip came from a different part of the world for a different reason. We all shared a commonality of wanting to experience something new and give back to our planet in such a unique way. As a small group of divers, we connected very early on as we spent our entire trip together from early morning breakfast-making to late night star gazing. We disconnected from the world and truly appreciated what was right in front of us. We all inspired each other when the dives were hard and lifted each other up when we did the small things. I was told by a fellow traveler before the trip that quickly we’d become family and he was exactly right. Getting to travel with people who share the same passion for traveling and helping others and our world was truly unforgettable and created a bond I’ll never forget.

What am I going to do now? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself ever since I got home. While my future is unknown, my passions are burning for more opportunities to shine. I want to be a nurse someday to help people, but not just any nurse, a traveling nurse. I want to see different parts of the world and how they thrive. I want to volunteer with the locals, use my scuba certifications to help clean the ocean, and shed more light on sustainable travel. I am incredibly grateful to the guides and people I got to experience this trip with and to GIVE volunteers for opening my eyes to new passions and filling my cup with such inspiration and knowledge. Aloha and Mahalo!

For my STEP Signature Project, I went on a Buc-I-Serv trip to Antigua, Guatemala. We worked with a local non-profit called Constru Case, that works to build houses for families in extreme poverty. With Constru Case we built a house for a family of six to improve their living conditions from a small tin structure to a brick house. Guatemala is an extremely beautiful country that is extremely impoverished due to high amounts political corruption and gang violence. So any amount of service and help that is offered they accept willingly.

One thing that struck my attention is how fortunate I have been to grow up and live in America. Though we are not perfect, and we do have our own problems here, it truly is the greatest country in the world. Some of the takeaways that I got from being in a country like Guatemala is a sense of gratitude even for the little things like hot water, clean water, doctors, medicine, etc. Being in Guatemala made me want to continue my efforts in service, as there are so many people in the world that struggle to meet their basic needs to survive. For example, 1 in 20 kids die in Guatemala due to unsanitary water. This has given me a perspective on just how many people need help and has guided me to investigate doing more service in the States as well.

The first event that exposed me to new experiences was traveling to jobsite where we would work for the week. This was a surreal experience as there were volcanoes in the background with farms stretching up the sides of them. The city we walked and drove through was also very poor many people used donkeys for work, carrying stuff they would sell at the market. Family is also a huge aspect of their culture there were generations of families sitting in one room working to prepare food or sitting worshiping in church which is something that I believe American’s value a lot less vs their society. People are also very fit in Antigua, there were many times you would see people running up mountains or biking. I am not sure if that is due to poverty or if it is for fun. Our driver was a coach of the cross-country club and he said they would run up a volcano, that took us 3 hours to hike, twice a week. Which I found astounding. It was just fascinating to me the difference in culture and some ways we as Americans live differently. Some of these differences I liked and wanted to take away from Guatemalan culture as I believe Americans could benefit form more family oriented and healthy lifestyles.

Another event that caused me to gain a lot of gratitude for living in America and grow relationships with the team in Guatemala was getting sick with a virus. I am beyond grateful for everyone that helped take care of me; form going to the doctor, to getting medicine, and providing meals while I was unwell. The house mom we had was so generous and caring. I told her “My Mom would give you the biggest hug if she could, knowing the care that I was in”. The little moment like that brought me closer to Elvira, Julissa, and the Constru Casa team. I am so thankful to have met such amazing people service focused people.

Another amazing aspect of our trip was being able to go to a local school, where we had a “party” and gave out gifts we brought to many of the student form the area. As I said before many of these family don’t have money so even basic school supplies are hard to come by and being able to provide kids with materials was a great experience. The kids were also super excited that we were there, and they danced, played, and even got to break a piñata which was super fun to watch. Many kids are also not able to go to school in Guatemala due to a variety of conditions, so I thought seeing them growing in learning in an environment away from home was empowering to them even though they were still young.

One change I want to make is being more involved in service. I also want to set aside money when I get a full-time role to be able to donate to organizations or people whether it be in my city, country, international, or someone in need at the store. I believe that people are created to help and serve other people and I want to do my part in that. Having this experience has also made me want to plan more international trips around service, you get to see an impact you make while on a vacation. Service also allows you to see the “other side of the country” that most tourists are exposed to when going on a typical vacation.

With my STEP funds, I traveled to Hawai’i with a group called Give. In Hawai’i, we were led by locals who took us throughout the community to various service projects. Our projects emphasized food security, cultural preservation, and maintaining the beautiful ecosystems throughout the island. 

This trip was an eye-opener to some of the issues that are happening in Hawai’i. I learned that they receive 90% of their imports from elsewhere, so if there are blockades or pandemics, food becomes extremely scarce (as it did with COVID-19), and the costs of food are unbearable for the local community. The island has so much land that is suitable for agriculture, so I learned just how important it is to be sustainable and utilize what one’s environment gives them. While we do not necessarily have this problem on the mainland, I learned we still can all do a better of becoming more sustainable whether it is planting in a community garden, saving all leftovers, and supporting local businesses. 

Along with sustainability, I learned how to become a more responsible tourist. On the trip, we had a very long discussion with the local guides on how tourism impacts the economy in Hawai’i. They talked about how tourism is the main driver of the economy, but many problems come with that. When tourists invest their money in large corporations, they drive locals out by tearing down local neighborhoods or by driving the cost of living up. They also talked about how many people have to work in the tourist industry, and how the working conditions should not be acceptable. However, the locals emphasized how they do want to share their culture, and so to be responsible tourists, we can stay at an Air BnB, we can explore many towns, eat at local restaurants, and even volunteer. I never realized how much tourism can both drive and hurt a local economy, and I know that because of this project, I will make sure to be much more aware of where my money is going when I travel. 

The very first project we did was at a place called Hamakua Harvest, and this project taught me more about how important the land in Hawaii is to the locals. At the harvest, we helped clean up some of the planting areas, setting up the foundation for future planting. We also got to witness an annual ceremony that signified the transition of the seasons. At this ceremony, we got to see how each person embraced the environment they lived in, and they taught us how we must use the environment given to us to provide. I am grateful that we got to see this ceremony as it taught me more about the culture, but it also taught me about how much people cared about sustainability. 

Another interesting part of Hawaiian culture is that there is something called a welcoming protocol. Before each of our projects, one of our guides sang a chant, which asked if we could “come in” to the sacred areas. The volunteer partners would respond with another chant, that allowed us to enter. During this protocol, everyone must take their hats and glasses off, and it served as a moment to reflect on the land we were about to see and work on. Each of these interactions taught me how much land is valued in their culture, and how much they do not take anything fro granted. These protocols are one of the reasons why I learned that we on the mainland need to do a better job of using what we have and helping provide for our communities. 

Finally, each night, we had reflection talks with the local guides, and the conversation we had about responsible tourism stuck with me the most. Both of our local guides had been pushed out of their original homes because of a massive resort being built, and hearing how it not only caused them to lose their first home, but hearing how it caused groceries, gas, and other costs to soar stuck with me. One of the guides talked about how she does not think she will have the ability to raise a child on the island because of these costs, and this stuck with me even more. It made me reflect on other times I have traveled and how I could have done a better job supporting the locals rather than the corporations. These stories will forever change how I travel, and I am so thankful I had the opportunity to learn how responsible tourism can leave a positive mark. 

I value diversity, and I believe that to have a more harmonious world, we all need to develop a better sense of cultural competency. From this experience, I learned that travel is a great way to learn more about new cultures, and this is something I hope to continue. Additionally, I hope that in my future career, I get to work with many people from all backgrounds and use my knowledge to create the most inclusive environment I can. Travel can be very expensive, and I understand that this is not an opportunity that everyone gets, so I am grateful that STEP has allowed me to learn more about a new culture. This trip has inspired me to continue traveling the world.

Over spring break I had the amazing opportunity to go on a service trip to the big island in Hawaii with the GIVE organization. With this program we traveled around the entire island on service projects and adventures. Our service projects mainly focused on food security within the communities with emphasis on growing kalo (taro). This is a native root plant that can provide a large amount of food and is a very resilient plant. With these non-profits, we worked on weeding, planting, removing invasive species, and were educated on the historical and cultural importance of the land and this plant. We also worked with a non-profit who was focusing on restoring a natural estuary for fish and turtles. Our adventures included hiking, shopping at local farmers markets, snorkeling and much more.

This trip had a major impact on how I see tourism and my view on the food that we consume. We learned so much about how tourism has positives and negatives, and how we can be on the positive side of that scale. Tourism can greatly increase the economy and provide jobs; however, when tourists only go to big corporations rather than support local businesses this causes problems. We learned how to be responsible tourists. You should support local businesses and maybe even do a volunteer activity in your travel location. This trip really opened my eyes to the tourism industry and the positive steps we can take to make an impact on the local communities in these tourist locations. 

Secondly, we had a farm to table meal while we were staying on Big Island Farms and this was really eye opening. Our guide Jordan told us about all the benefits of eating food that you produce, such as no preservatives or GMO’s or hormones. She also discussed how certain foods can have health benefits and discussed how we can turn to foods for certain medical things. This was very eye opening and definitely changed my way of thinking when buying groceries. This has encouraged me to grow some of my own food this summer. I want to grow an herb garden as I don’t have the room for anything bigger, but this is one step in the right direction.

This experience also allowed me to grow such special relationships. I was able to learn so much from the guides who shared their experiences working for a volunteer organization, WOOFing, and their experiences in the peace corp. It really gave me a perspective of what I could do if I chose to take a gap year. I felt inspired by their experience of how through these experiences they were able to connect and learn about other cultures and make an impact on the environment. I also loved the experience of getting to meet so many new people who also attended the GIVE trip. I made so many new friends, and even met a neighbor from my street who goes to OSU 4,000 miles from home. This trip gave me a new insight on tourism, the environment, food, and so much more. I am very grateful for this experience!

Although I don’t know if I’m going to take a gap year and work-trade in a new country, it is definitely a consideration I didn’t have before this trip. Although, I might not go to that level of commitment, I am definitely taking away a lot of things I learned on this trip. First, how important it is and how more fulfilling it is when you really get to learn and dive deep into a culture you are a visitor in. Secondly, how I can be a good tourist that supports the local businesses. Lastly, that I am not confined in a box. The world and other cultures are out there to explore and I really hope to continue my traveling, volunteering, and education journey. 

           My STEP Project included travelling to the Big Island of Hawai’i to become PADI Scuba certified and earn specialty certifications in debris cleanup and coral reef health data collection. We spent our week living on a farm located on the north side of the island and completing the necessary tasks required to earn the PADI Open-Water certification, including four confined water dives and skills and four open water dives and skills. Halfway through the week, we completed the Open-Water requirements and moved on to the dives and classroom learning required for the Dive Against Debris and Coral Watch- Coral Health specialty certifications.

           By the end of the week, I was surprised by how I saw myself. If you would have asked me before I left if I would ever consider joining the Peace Corps, I would have laughed in your face. I did not have enough volunteer experience at that point in my life to understand the purpose and passion it can truly fill me with. Not only did I return home with a newfound need for sustainable volunteering, I was overcome with appreciation for nature and the connection with it that I was lucky enough to experience throughout the week.

            Upon arrival, I was nervous and hesitant for what the week would hold living on a self-sustaining farm in cabanas without electricity. The next 8 days really shed light on how beautiful a personal connection with mother nature can be. I found myself not caring what my hair looked like or who was texting me. I felt the most joy I ever have in my entire life unplugging and appreciating the setting I was in and the people I was surrounded with.

             I think a lot of this change also had to do with the relationships I was creating with those around me. The eight other volunteers that travelled around the world are some of the best most quality individuals I have ever met. Before leaving for my trip, a past volunteer told me that by the end of the week my group would feel like family. Not only was I skeptical, I flat out did not believe him; however, when the time came to say goodbye to my new best friends, I cried the whole way to airport.

            One specific relationship that felt particularly life changing came from one of my guides, Hannah. Hannah had been working with GIVE for several years that this point and had recently spent the past 24 months working in Zanzibar, Tanzania on their African volunteer trip. She had worked countless African safaris and whale watching trips and the stories she would tell were nothing short of inspiring. Being only 26, she felt like an older sister and a preview of what my future could hold. She is the reason I plan to do another GIVE trip. She is the reason I am thinking about joining the Peace Corps. She is the reason I want to see and help save the world.

            While I have these big hopes and aspirations, I still want to think about my future realistically. If not joining the Peace Corps, this trip has still opened my eyes to several key parts of my life that I know for a fact have been affected. For starters, as a marketing major, I have decided that I want to devote my education and degree toward sustainability. If not being involved in hands on change, I know now that it is my calling to use my voice to advocate for these rising issues. Working for a sustainable non-profit or even using my skills in social policy would allow for an outlet in which to direct these passions of mine. Coming out of college, the first aspect of my research into a potential employer is their commitment to the environment and their policies regarding CSR and triple bottom line. This has been a life changing experience that has motivated me to work toward the future I now know I need to create for myself.