Freshman Leadership Project (FLP) - Spring Break 2011

This past week we had spring break. While some students went back home to visit their families and some went on exotic vacations, a handful of BC students served others for their week off. I was one of those students. I was fortunate enough to have applied to the Freshman Leadership Project which was offered by the First Year Experience (FYE) office. I applied in December and got in before leaving for the semester. I was excited, but not really sure what we were going to actually be doing. Regardless, I was excited for my alternative spring break.

So Sunday rolled around as I packed up all my clothes and supplies I needed for the week. A group of 11 other freshman met at Lower Dining Hall and we took the B-Line to the place we were staying....a hostel. I have never stayed at a hostel before, but what a great experience it was. We all got so close over that week, I mean, we were around the same people 24 hours a day for a week!

But anyways, everyday we had a different service project that we worked on. Some of these included working with children at the Commonwealth Tenants Association, listening to speakers from the Homelessness Bureau, working at the Boston Living Center, and helping out at the Urban Revisionary Farm. Everyday was different, but each day taught me a new lesson in this humbling experience.

I could not imagine doing anything better on my week off than this service trip. And I can honestly say that my new 11 friends would say the same thing. It not only gave us all a chance to get away from BC for a bit, but it gave us time to reflect on things that were going on in our lives and learn about the city that we all now call home.

Yes, other schools may have Appalachia Volunteers and other spring break programs, but BC is different because of the emphasis on the Jesuit mission and importance of service that BC preaches. You didn't have to be religious at all to partake in this, in fact, I'm not at all and that's also why BC is such a special place.

This experience was simply amazing and if you come to BC, I would highly encourage you to apply to go because it might just be one of your best freshman experiences. It was certainly one of mine.

Chrissy