Service learning, supervised field experiences, community development, tech transfer, immersive service experience, etc.

Offering Support to Puerto Rico
by Ashley Worlds

I traveled to Puerto Rico during spring break to participate in an Alternative Spring Break Trip. Our goal was to help local communities repair and clean up after Hurricane Maria. We spent many days near Playa Guayanes, located on the south east of the island. This town was hit hard by the hurricane and went months without electricity and water. I was able to try my painting skills out on a couple of houses and we cleaned up yards! We also traveled to Luqillo to a community school that was currently closed. Luqillo hopes to open the new school in the fall as a Montessori school. We cleared out the schoolyard and power washed the buildings. Our last day of service was spent with over 230 children at a Boys and Girls Club. I ended up giving many piggyback rides and playing basketball with so many children.

PR became an important place to me after my first service trip there in 2017. When I heard about Hurricane Maria and the impact it had on the land, I was devastated. I wanted to do all that I could to help. When I heard about this trip to PR this year, I jumped on board. I wanted to do anything in my power to help. When I arrived in Puerto Rico, I saw all of the hard work that was put into Puerto Rico to help rebuild. I was reminded that I was not there to be their savior, but to offer my support and show that I care about Puerto Rico and its people. I was humbled to know that I was one person in thousands to help the families in need. I was there to listen to their stories and ask them what I could do for them.

The original official death toll in Puerto Rico from the Hurricane was listed as only 64; however almost 3,000 people died due to the lack of water, food, and healthcare after Maria. As a Biobehavioral Health major, I learn about different aspects of life that shape a person and their health. I understood that the environment where you live greatly affects your ability to have a healthy and happy life. Having a home that you are proud of and that is clean is important to your health. My academic studies helped me to realize that there was an importance to chipping paint off of a wall or cleaning up a yard. It helped to relieve the stress of the community members and we were able to show our support, which could improve health outcomes.

From this experience, I have again found my passion in volunteering. The field of public health will allow me to follow my hopes of volunteering or encouraging others to volunteer. I currently work at Global Links, a nonprofit that sends medical supplies that would have landed in a landfill to Latin American countries in need. I hope to continue my work in nonprofits and help those who need it the most. After graduation, I hope to join the National Health Corps and spend a year doing service work.

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Illuminating Backyards One Light Bulb at a Time
by Krist Matthew

My experience took place in Dover, DE, as part of a comprehensive Neighborhood Revitalization Plan implemented by the National Council on Agricultural Life and Labor along with the non-profit HELP Initiative Inc., which I represented. The campaign provided dusk-to-dawn energy efficiency LED lights for the front porches and solar-powered LED motion flood lights for the backyards of 187 homes. This initiative increased security and public awareness in the high-risk areas within Central Dover.

Studies have shown that improved lighting can reduce criminal activity by up to 21%. When residents feel safe in their communities, they’re more likely to take pride and ownership of what goes on in their surroundings. This experience was important to me because it demonstrated how a low-cost program, such as replacing old incandescent light bulbs with LED light bulbs, while simultaneously illuminating areas of high crime, can have the social impact of improving the lives of residents while getting them acquainted to the idea of energy efficiency.

Enrolling in the Energy and Sustainable Policy program, along with my in-class learning and academic studies, have complemented this experience by equipping me with knowledge of how to identify ways in which residents could be more energy efficient in their daily lives. Thus, the idea of coupling energy efficient LEDs to safety awareness came about and I knew it was relevant to my course work at Penn State.

What I learned from this experience is that it doesn’t always take a big budget idea to affect people’s lives in a positive way. Sometimes all it takes is the smallest of initiatives. In this case, it was a light bulb to satisfy a need that people had and it brought about a positive effect on a community. I’m going to take this lesson with me post-graduation as I continue aiding the low-Income communities of Delaware, and help them become safer and more energy efficient.

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