#04-197
July 6, 2004

GSW team explores Costa Rica, extends helping hand

Participants reflect on value of service learning

AMERICUS--Lacey Pitts wasn't sure what to expect. An English education major from Cordele, the Georgia Southwestern State University junior had never before left U.S. soil. 

The 20-year-old had one overriding fear as her international flight touched down in Costa Rica: "My first thought was, 'I can't call Momma to help me if I get in trouble,'" she said. 

Pitts was one of 40 Georgia Southwestern students and faculty to spend 12 days at the end of the Spring Semester helping others and broadening horizons. The annual service learning expedition was part of the University 4000 course, a GSW tradition since 1998. 

"Our students have the opportunity to learn firsthand about new peoples and cultures," said Peggy Ellington, Ph.D., assistant professor of English and team leader. "They always come back with new perspectives." 

This was Ellington's third year accompanying students to Costa Rica, where they built homes for needy families in cooperation with Habitat for Humanity International. On this trip, the GSW team collaborated to construct nine houses in the Costa Rican central valley community of Grecia. 

Team members worked together to do everything from digging foundations to mixing cement, Ellington said. 

But before they ever touched a trowel, enrolled students first spent the Spring Semester in GSW classrooms exploring the culture, language and geography of the country they would visit. Students paid course tuition and had to pay or raise an additional $200, but support from the GSW Foundation, Inc., covered the remaining cost of the capstone trip, which totaled approximately $55,000, Ellington said. 

"Combining service learning with international study is an unparalleled way to enhance learning experiences for our students," said GSW President Michael L. Hanes, Ph.D., who joined the Costa Rica team this year. "By immersing students in new cultures and giving them worthwhile ways to contribute to the needs of others, we are fostering life changing education." 

Pitts said it was an experience she'll never forget. 

"Staying in Grecia felt like home. We were very comfortable there, and so welcomed by the families that hosted us," she said. 

But it wasn't all work. The experience included the opportunity to explore the rain forest, go white water rafting, climb to the top of an active volcano, and even ride horses on a beach bordering the Pacific Ocean. 

Pitts said that when the time came to fly home, her initial fears had long since faded, and been replaced by a fulfilling sense of service. 

"I just helped to change people's lives, and did something that mattered," she said. "I helped to give them a home."

PHOTOS AVAILABLE 

Photos Courtesy Pat Bonz

Ocean Escape--GSW team member Fabienne Valmond (right) rides a horse along the idyllic Costa Rican shore, under the watchful eye of her guide.

Digging In--Andrew Worth and Steven Hornyak sift sand to be used in making cement for the new Habitat homes.

Firm Foundation--Courtney Bean and President Michael L Hanes, Ph.D., pour concrete into blocks for a new home. The blocks are reinforced with rebar that adds stability to the house.

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