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Alternative Break 2016- Kingdom House and St. Louis community

Hello everyone! My name is Brooke Berrens and I am one of the bloggers for the 2016 Alternative Break trip to St. Louis. I am a Women’s and Gender Studies major with dual minors in Studio Art and Music (Vocal Division) graduating this May. I chose to go on this trip since I participated in Alternative Break last year by being the trip leader for the New York group and I wanted to do something again this year for break. Volunteering and making a positive impact has been a big thing for me throughout high school and especially during college, so I am excited to be going out into a new community and working with different identities of individuals with many unique backgrounds. I (along with the rest of the group) am ready learn more about racism, food access and insecurity, and intersectionality from Kingdom House and the St. Louis community.

Lauren Dearth, a blogger for this trip as well, from New Glarus, WI. A Junior majoring in Kinesiology. What I’m most excited for is getting out of Oshkosh and learning about a culture that I have never been part of and helping others!

Kelsey Johnson-Fischer: Coordinator of AV and Technical Services at Reeve Memorial Union; Staff Adviser for St. Louis AB Trip. I was chosen for this trip due to my past experiences with service trips and leadership. I’m excited for experiencing a different culture and a larger city. Also getting to serve within the city of St. Louis in many different areas.

My name is Claire Clough I am a freshman at UW Oshkosh; my major is Environmental Science and a minor in German. I am a member of the Reeve Union Board and Gamma Phi Beta. I choose this trip because I have always wanted to go on a volunteering trip and this was a great opportunity to be able to do some good and be able to do something I love, volunteering. I hope to learn a lot from this trip and be able to use what I learn from this trip in the future.

Sophie Brandstetter: Geography major, environmental studies minor, senior graduating in May! I chose this trip because I have done many service trips before, even another alternative spring break, and I enjoy myself and learn so much every time. As a senior, I thought I should cap off my time here with another meaningful, worth-while trip to serve others and learn new things. I am most excited about sightseeing in St. Louis, hanging out with my new friends and helping others.

Taylor Zimmerman: Junior- Social Work major, Spanish minor. I wanted to go someplace I have never been to before, and I also wanted to be able to give back to a community and a group of people.  The St. Louis trip interested me, because we would be working with a population of people and organization directly.  As well, I wanted to experience more diversity and learn more about the problem of homelessness in the community of St. Louis and its impact it has on the people and the community there. I am excited to travel to a city that I have never been to before and seeing how it is different from the Oshkosh community.  As well, I am excited to get to know everyone else who is going on the trip with me and sharing all the trip experiences, learning, and fun with them!

My name is Elizabeth Turner, a freshman, and also an aspiring nursing student at UWO. I am originally from Mount Horeb, Wisconsin a small tight-knit community dedicated to serving various individuals near and far. My love for volunteerism is something that I take pride in and is something I take very seriously. This trip is a very important to me and will allow me to partake in an adventure that will give me the opportunity to show my compassion and dedication for my volunteerism. I am most excited to submerge myself within a community that is different, and to gain a better understanding for the various conflicts individuals in the St. Louis community may face.

Hi everyone! My name is Sam Speaker and I’m so excited for our journey to St. Louis! I’m in my third year at UWO with a major in Human Services Leadership and a minor in Social Justice. I chose to go on this alternative break trip to further my education in providing services for my community. I want to get more experience working in a service field and I can’t wait to be learning about St. Louis and interacting with the community there! I am so excited to go on my first service trip and gain so much knowledge from it!
(Jed Carlson, Roni Howards)

In just 12 short hours we will be meeting at GCC to pack up the vans and hit the road to St. Louis!! We’re excited the trip is finally here and to share what we do with everyone. Check back for our next update 🙂