Immersion Reflections

Hi Friends!

If you want a concrete example of “men and women for others” on campus, Spring Break Immersion Leaders might be one of the strongest. While many of their friends head to Cabo and other balmy spring break destinations, these seniors dedicate their last spring break to creating incredibly meaningful experiences for those who choose to do Immersion. Their service to the HC community is endlessly valuable to the students who sign up for trips, and our community as a whole as students return with new perspectives and understandings.

I was lucky to go to El Paso, TX over break with 10 other lovely HC students. Considered one of the “special sites” outside of Appalachia, I jumped in with an open mind and heart, knowing it would be different from my experience last year in Wheeling, West Virginia, but feeling confident having attended immersion before.

El Paso was, to say the least, a beautiful place to go. The desert landscapes were outrageously beautiful, like nothing I had ever seen before. So many people were welcoming to us, asking how we were enjoying our time, if we had been to Chico’s Tacos, and if we were enjoying the weather. Their willingness to embrace us, an odd group of undergrads from Massachusetts, was truly touching.

Beyond that, as a Political Science-Spanish double major, so much of the immigration policy that we discussed was humanized in real individuals. I was privileged to speak (in my broken Spanish) with a number of immigrants, and learn about their stories. Indeed, Spring Break Immersion is very much about stories. It gives us an opportunity to share our experiences with others and catch a glimpse of how community affects experience, and how our lives intersect with the lives of those in El Paso, or Wheeling, or Roanoke, or New Orleans…

I came back to Holy Cross refreshed by the beauty of the El Paso community and inspired by the passionate individuals working for justice there. Further, I came back hopeful that I am learning enough from people fighting for social justice that I might one day do that work effectively, too.

DFTBA

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 10th, 2015 at 4:06 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Comments are closed.