Students at the Academy set off on an inspiring service trip to the Dominican Republic over Christmas break. This immersive experience allowed the students to learn about another culture. In December, the 11 students, accompanied by David Levin and Damaris Kinney, departed with a sense of purpose and excitement.
“Going into the trip I didn’t know what to expect about anything but pretty quickly I saw the differences in their lifestyle and ours,” junior Natalie Ionata said. “It was super lively all the time and everyone we met had such a great outlook on life and how they lived theirs.”
Levin teaches Spanish and had been searching for an international trip for the students to be able to immerse into different Spanish cultures. Having traveled to the Dominican Republic many years ago, he decided that this would be an excellent way of showing the students a completely different culture than theirs. Levin reached out to a program named Dream at Charlie, asking if his students would be able to help serve.
“Each day we met a group of kids ranging from ages eight to 16,” Levin explained. “We led social activities, sports, icebreakers, crafts,gardening, and painting.”
Dream at Charlie is an educational program that assists children coming from low income families.
“Helping and getting to know these kids was one of the most memorable and fulfilling moments of the trip,” Ionata added.
The Holy Cross students made so many memories of the people and places on the service trip.
“One of my favorite memories was gardening with the children,” junior Eliza D’Albora said.
The LOTAs enjoyed getting to know the children that they worked with.
“I will always remember when the children were grabbing fruit from a tree and sharing it with all of us,” Ionata contributed.
The days consisted of numerous other activities in addition to the service. The students spent the day surfing, hiking, snorkeling, visiting museums and restaurants. Then they ended the successful day relaxing on the beach with ice cream and treats. But the most important part was the opportunity to serve in such an amazing part of the world.
“I went on the trip to be able to serve the kids who have less than I do,” D’Albora said. “I would definitely recommend an international service trip to other Holy Cross students.”