Meet this week’s campus celeb Jenna Barasch! Jenna is preparing for her alternative spring break program in Guatemala in the upcoming weeks. This is her second time participating in an alternative spring break program with Long Way Home in Guatemala. When not volunteering her time, you can find her sipping iced chai, roaming Target, or making cookies for her roommates.
Name: Jenna Barasch
Major: Family and Human Services
Minor: Special Education
Hometown: San Mateo, California
HCO: Why did you decide to go an alternative spring break?
Jenna: I’ve always loved helping others, and the chance to get to travel and give back all in one was something I couldn’t pass up. Spring break has always seemed like a silly time for me to go home. Most of my friends are on semesters and my family all works so I don’t ever have much to do. I knew when I applied last year this would be a great thing to spend my spring break doing because it combined my passions. I ended up having an amazing week and I’m so glad I made the decision. When I found out I had a chance to travel back to Comalapa this year, I jumped at the chance. As the trip approaches, I find myself getting more excited to see the kids and the staff once again.
HCO: Can you tell me a little bit more about the program?
Jenna: Long Way Home is a nonprofit organization that uses sustainable design and appropriate materials to construct self-sufficient schools that promote education, employment and environmental stewardship. We will be working on the construction of a new facility that is being built using environmentally friendly techniques (rammed earth construction, water-harvesting systems and trash-filled plastic bottles) and will include a vocational school for older students, another part of its sustainability plan.
HCO: What was it like to help the children in Guatemala?
Jenna: On the third day of our trip last year, we got a chance to spend some time playing soccer with the kids, and providing them all with individual solar lights we fundraised for, provided by One Million Lights. While the sheer excitement expressed probably had more to do with the box and the bubble wrap the light came in than the light itself, it was still amazing to provide something to these children that seems so basic to us. To thank us for coming to help, the children performed skits and dances for us, and provided us all with thank you cards they had decorated. Having taken Spanish since high school, I was able to communicate with the children while we were playing soccer, and it was so cool to hear them talk about how much they loved school and loved all the volunteers who came to help.
HCO:What was your favorite part of the program/volunteer work last year?
Jenna: Just getting to experience this entirely new culture and be surrounded by so many hard workers who are committed to providing these children with a school. It’s so obvious from the moment you set foot on the work site that every staff member and construction worker there cares so much about these children getting an education and furthering their learning, and that’s such an amazing thing.
HCO:Why do you think it is important to do this type of volunteering?
Jenna: I’ve done a lot of volunteer work in the United States, and nothing has ever compared to the feeling I got when I left the work site on the last day. It was so crazy how much of an impact was visible from our one week of work. For me especially, education is really valuable to me, and anyway I can help promote that to children who may otherwise not get the chance to attend school is great.
HCO: Can you tell me a little bit about how you fundraise and what types of supplies you fund?
Jenna: This year, we are taking 11 students and one staff member from Oregon Hillel to Guatemala. Three of us are returning students from last years group, and our greatest fundraising last year came from sending emails. We sent hundreds of emails to family members, friends, and anyone who we thought might have an interest in providing for us as a volunteer group. This year, we have continued that, and are also working on some food fundraisers at different restaurants.
HCO: What was the hardest part about participating in this volunteer program?
Jenna: It was some of the most strenuous, hard work I’ve ever done in relatively hot temperatures, and I remember just being so tired every single day by the time we got back to the hostel. In the end though, the dirt, the lack of energy, it’s all worth it when you see how much of an impact you can make in such a short time.
HCO: What do you want to do after graduation?
Jenna: Currently, I’m in the process of applying to jobs in the San Francisco Bay area, where I grew up. I’m really interested in working with teens and would love to work for some sort of organization that combines that with my passion for volunteering and giving back. Eventually, I hope to get my teaching credential, in a few years time.
If you want to help out Jenna and other volunteers please donate here.