SHU Students Volunteer During Spring Break

Students and faculty traveled around the globe to give back

Spring break may be a time for students to relax and unwind, but for many at Sacred Heart University, it was an opportunity to get out in the community to continue their learning and perform acts of service. Students and faculty traveled domestically and internationally, putting SHU’s name on the map.

Service Trips to Costa Rica & Colombia

One group of SHU students participated in a week of service in the Veragua Rainforest in Costa Rica while another volunteered in Colombia. In Costa Rica, they volunteered alongside students and faculty from the Tecnológico de Costa Rica and researchers from the Veragua Foundation. They learned about various endangered species, created frog ponds for reproduction and planted trees to expand areas that had been deforested for grazing. They also worked on a painting project at a local primary school.

“These trips are designed for students to engage in action through volunteer work and to 

reflect on their role as global citizens,” said Anne Johnson, office of community engagement director. “Students not only get to travel and explore a new country, but also connect with local leaders in their host communities.”

The most memorable part of the trip for Sarah Elliot ’24 was playing with the primary school children. She said that although they were using fruits as soccer balls and tree branches as karate-chopping blocks, they were some of the happiest children she’s met.

“They may not have much, but there was never a discouraged look on their faces,” said Elliot. “When we left, four children jumped up to give us hugs. It showed me that such small acts of kindness can go a long way.”

In Colombia, SHU students volunteered in a detention center at Foundation Alenu and with a women’s entrepreneurial organization. The international immersion provided them with powerful, cultural-exchange opportunities, as well as significant growth and reflection.

“While each program’s focus depends on the host community’s needs, all immersion programs aim to expose students to issues of social justice abroad,” said Arlete Perez Paez, assistant director of the office of community engagement. “We want to prepare them not only academically, but also for becoming good human beings who are aware of what is happening in the world.”

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization that helps families build and improve places to call home. SHU students traveled to Deerfield Beach, FL; Pittsboro and New Bern, NC, to work with construction supervisors and volunteers to build houses. Faculty and staff accompanied students on these trips. Tom Dess, residence hall director, Amanda Shaw, director of career education and Elizabeth Saska, clinical assistant nursing professor, went to Pittsboro. Conner Murphy, assistant director of residential education and Devon James, campus minister went to Deerfield Beach.

“Having our students go on these trips during Habitat’s Collegiate Challenge helped move along the building projects,” said Greg Madrid, director of residential life and SHU Habitat for Humanity chapter adviser, who went to New Bern. “Our students also got to interact with the community and with the current and future homeowners of the houses they are building.”

Keara Mulrooney ’25, vice president of SHU’s Habitat for Humanity chapter, traveled to Pittsboro. She found the experience very rewarding because she was helping to build a family’s future.

“It is cool knowing that the walls we were putting up are going to have children drawing on or throwing noodles at one day,” said Mulrooney. “Families are going to be running around in that house. I am glad I spent my spring break helping these families.”

For Annie Fowler ’25, her trip to New Bern put many things into perspective. “I realized how lucky we are to go to school and to live where we do,” she said. “There are people in other parts of the country and around the world who are not as fortunate as we are and who do not have roofs over their heads.”

Choir Performs in Dingle

The University’s choir held an intensive choral singing workshop in Dingle, Ireland, culminating in a final performance at the historic St. Mary’s Church, where they were joined by mezzo-soprano Allegra De Vita ’11. In the afternoons, students enjoyed scenic hikes, held baby lambs, rode horses on the beach and practiced Irish music and dance.

“This experience gave me a lifetime of memories, and I was able to bring my love of choir to Ireland,” said Victoria Grillo ’26. “There is something so special about sharing one’s love of music, so being able to bring that to Ireland was an absolute honor.”

Theatre Arts Students Travel to London

Twelve students in the theatre arts program immersed themselves in London theatre, attending eight shows in six days. They saw new works in their first stages of development and some premiere West End shows, like Cabaret, Stranger Things, The First Shadow and the revival of Guys and Dolls. They also saw a show at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

“As a theatre student, this was an extremely beneficial experience. I have a new appreciation for theatre and how it can inspire audiences all over the world,” said Nora Delehanty ’26.

Groups from the College of Health Professions Travel to Guatemala

Professors Leigh Ronald, Donna Bowers, Sheelagh Schlegel and the assistant director of global health, Elizabeth Gomez, traveled to Guatemala with 12 students. One group, comprising eight students in the doctor of physical therapy program, held free community clinics, conducted home visits for housebound patients and built wheelchairs with funds they raised.

Another group, made up of students in the master’s in occupational therapy, bachelor’s in nursing and the pre-physical therapy programs, volunteered in an orphanage, a hospital shelter and a nursing home. They also visited homebound patients in need of occupational therapy and assisted with one of the physical therapy community clinics.

These College of Health Professions faculty-led groups have been providing care and collaborating with partners in the Greater Panchoy Valley of Guatemala since 2010.

From left, clockwise are Costa Rica, Habitat, London, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Colombia.