This past summer was full of non-stop excitement and volunteer work for three seniors. Marisa Keller, Angelica Almonte, and Elise Candreva each went on volunteer trips to help those in need.

Keller spent ten days in Misminay, a town in Peru. Keller stayed with a host family for four days of her trip and helped them build rain gutters and a rainwater collector to filter potential drinking water. Keller also helped the host family use bricks and mud to construct a kitchen.

While in the region of Cusco, Keller spent a day working at a kindergarten school. She helped make furniture by painting and sanding tables, chairs, and bookshelves. Throughout the rest of her stay, Keller visited Machu Picchu, stayed in multiple towns, and saw Inca ruins. Keller says her passion for travel motivated her to take this journey, stating, “I am forever grateful to have had such a life changing and truly eye opening experience come out of my first trip out of the country.”

Almonte took a trip to the Dominican Republic and worked with the Global Leadership Adventures program for ten Days. Almonte worked at Caño Dulce helping a local man construct a house for his family. During the six-hour work days in Caño Dulce, Almonte and the other members of the program mixed cement for the family’s house.

At Las Cuevas National Park, Almonte assisted in tree planting while living in an eco-lodge near the city of Sosuá. There was no air conditioner or warm water, and the food was prepared by local women.  “Our cooks were local women, and the food was delicious,” said Almonte.

During the nights, Almonte’s group worked on a project called Capstone. The goal of the project was to think of sustainable projects geared towards helping developing communities. Almonte’s sustainable project was helping children as young as the third grade receive sexual education and health classes. On her trip, Almonte also participated in cultural excursions. “On the days we didn’t work, we went on cultural excursions, like an eight-mile hike up Mt. Brisón, which is the same path that Dominican school children have to take every day to get to school,” said Almonte.

For two weeks, Candreva was doing volunteer work in Nigeria. During the first week she was in Ikwo and then went to Ishiagu for the second. Candreva assisted in post operational care while the surgeon she was with completed a total of ninety-nine hernia surgeries.

Candreva was responsible for checking children’s heart rates and oxygen levels. Candreva would also encourage them to start eating and drinking water so they would be ready to go home. Candreva was kept busy in the hospitals whether it was keeping kids entertained or refilling pain medications.