The University of Findlay - Students Spend Break Engaging in Service and Experiencing Culture

A number of UF students used their spring break, March 6-10, to provide service to others and experience American history and culture.

Thirty-two members of the University's chapter of Habitat for Humanity traveled to Valdosta, Ga., to spend their week building a home for a deserving family.

During the Habitat trip, the students put in full eight-hour workdays to build a house from the cement footer up.

Students from UF’s Habitat for Humanity chapter pose in front of the house they built from the cement footer up during their week in Georgia.

Thirteen members of the Black Student Union (BSU) spent part of the week in Atlanta, Ga., learning about the impact African-American culture has had on both the cultural and economic environment in the south.

The BSU group visited the homes of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King and a number of museums. The students also toured the CNN studios, the Coca-Cola factory and other economic centers in Atlanta.

According to Desmond Buford, executive director of intercultural student services, the students returned to campus more culturally enriched.

Almar Walter, the graduate assistant for the Office of Interculutral Student Services, poses with the Freedom March exhibit at The King Center in Atlanta, Ga.

“Atlanta is the capital of the new south. We chose the city because we wanted to expose our students to the cultural, social and historical differences that occur in different regions,” explained Buford.

And 14 of UF’s international students spent a few days in Cleveland attending a Cavaliers basketball game and touring the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The trip was arranged by the Office of International Student Admissions and Services to help the students experience more aspects of American life.

During their trip, the students watched their first professional basketball game as the Cavs beat the Toronto Raptors.

Craig Haines, assistant director of immigration, later escorted the group, who hail from China, India, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan, to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

MBA students Anubhav Argal and Aayush Agarwal were among the group of students who traveled to Cleveland to experience an NBA game.