As I mentioned in an earlier post, for spring break I went to Memphis, Tennessee with the honors program on an Alternative Spring Break trip, and I wanted to talk about the amazing experiences that I got to go on! The bus ride there was perfect. I was able to get some sleep and have some reflection time to myself. When we arrived we stayed at this place called The Kingdom, which was located right on this little lake and was so adorable. My group started by going to a charter school named Believe Memphis Academy, where we worked cleaning up; trash from around the school, organizing the gym closets, and cleaning some storage areas for the teachers to use. Here I was able to realize how privileged I am for the education and opportunities I’ve been given. We got insight into what struggles these kids face just living in their school district.
For our next day, we worked with Lifeline for Success, a felon re-entry program in Memphis. Here I learned a lot about men and women who are trying to re-enter society after being in prison for a long period of time. Hearing from them and working with them was such an awarding experience that I will forever be thankful for.
For our last day, we worked with the Mid-South Food Bank, where we packaged food that was going to be handed out to families at the end of the week. During our time in Memphis, we also got to attend the National Civil Rights Museum and explore Beale Street while we were there. All in all, it was such an awarding experience and I am looking forward to going on a third one for my senior year and recommend it to anyone for an amazing experience and as a way to meet other people!