The alternative breaks program is one of my absolute favorites on CMU’s campus. The summer before my junior year at school I traveled to Singer Island, FL with twelve passionate women to volunteer on behalf of animal endangerment. At this time in my life, I was in desperate need of some positivity in my life. The girls and experiences from this alternative break were truly life-changing for me. 
The community partners we volunteered with were so kind and passionate, and fired me back up for volunteering. We assisted the Sea Turtle Conservancy every morning by walking the beach and educating bystanders on the issues surrounding sea-turtle endangerment. We had pamphlets we handed out and helped dig up nests with the help of professionals to find any weak turtles struggling to make it to the surface. After walking the length of the beach and checking all of the nests and scanning for new hatchlings, we would take a break for lunch and swimming! Our group had so much fun together and bonded so well. 
On the first few days of the break we would volunteer at MacArthur State park in the afternoons helping with clean up of invasive plant species, and plastic clean-up in the mangroves. We had so much fun working together and helping out in the little ways we could. In our group picture we sat around all of the trash we spend hours cleaning up. Not even the scariest of spiders in the mangroves could stop us from grabbing the trash that did not belong in the park. For the second half of the week we volunteered with Loggerhead Marine-life Center in Juno Beach, FL. With them we saw first-hand the turtles that they had rescued and rehabilitated, and also some of the hatchlings we helped save on the beach throughout the week we were there. There was a pier on Juno Beach that needed revamping, and we spent the last few days painting it. There were two men that came and helped us through the Marine-life center, and it was so fun having 
conversations with them and hearing all about their lives. We got to see a shark from the pier while we were painting and it was such a fun little addition to the trip. Overall, the break was amazing and I learned so much during our weekly meetings leading up to the break. I had two AMAZING site leaders that made the trip that much more enjoyable. This break had such a positive impact on me and my life and I fully intend on going back someday and volunteering with these community partners again. I want to share what I learned here with others and encourage them to volunteer their time alongside me. Very thankful for the opportunities the Alternative Breaks program has provided me with!
Makenna Hogerheide 