Kansas State University students participate in alternative spring breaks
Monday, March 9, 2015
MANHATTAN — Kansas State University students are giving up their spring break to help others by participating in the university's Alternative Spring Break program.
Coordinated by students in the Staley School of Leadership Studies, from March 15-20 students will volunteer for service-learning projects across the U.S.
"An alternative spring break is an opportunity for K-State students to travel around the nation and work with different social issues. Groups of six to eight students will work with and live in similar conditions of which the social issue surrounds," said Tyler Bedell, student coordinator of the Alternative Spring Break program and senior in marketing from Liberty, Missouri.
The university's Alternative Spring Break locations include North High School and Teach For America in Denver, Colorado, where the team will volunteer in schools to gain perspective from diverse settings and understand education systems in low-income populations; Hope Faith and Homeless Coalition of KC in Kansas City, Missouri, where the team will take an in-depth look at the homeless population and the resources available to that demographic; and AIDS Services in Dallas, Texas, where students will gain insight to the daily trials of low-income individuals suffering from HIV/AIDS.
“Students really get out of the Alternative Spring Breaks program what they put in," Bedell said. "The program prepares students for service and focuses a lot on reflection afterward, but it's on each student to educate and interact proactively within each issue to get out what each one needs or wants."
The following Kansas State University students are participating in the Alternative Spring Break program; included are major, hometown and team location:
From Greater Kansas City: Brittany Husong, junior in communication studies, Denver team, Christina DeGraffenreid, sophomore in communication sciences and disorders, Denver team, and Mackenzie Lutz, senior in marketing, Dallas team, all from Overland Park; Rylee Shea, junior in elementary education, Shawnee, Denver team; and Cari Olberding, senior in family studies and human service, Lenexa, Kansas City team.
Cajsa Larson, junior in elementary education, Leonardville, Dallas team; Jessica Van Ranken, sophomore in political science, Lindsborg, Dallas team; Madeline Frankel, junior in communications studies, Manhattan, Denver team; Eden Randolph, junior in political science Meriden, Dallas team; Katie Noll, senior in secondary education-mathematics, Nortonville, Denver team; Maddy McClellan, sophomore in apparel and textiles, Palco, Kansas City team; Cambry Schrag, junior in communications studies, Pratt, Kansas City team; Kayla Wilkinson, sophomore in biochemistry, Riley, Dallas team; Lizzie Penton, sophomore in communication sciences and disorders, Topeka, Denver team; and Ryan Haxton, junior in mass communications, Wakeeney, Dallas team.
From out of state:
Tina Novak, senior in animal sciences and industry, Omaha, Nebraska, Kansas City team; Kara Evans, junior in kinesiology, The Woodlands, Texas, Kansas City team; and Brooke Collins, junior in biology, Gillet, Wisconsin, Dallas team.
From out of country: Vaithish Velazhahan, freshman in biology, Coimbatore, India, Kansas City team.
