After six days in the remote, yet close-knit town of Whitley City, KY, I am finally back on campus and ready to get back into a routine at Holy Cross! If you saw my article from a few weeks ago, you may know that I’ve decided to spend my spring break participating in Holy Cross’s Spring Break Immersion Program (SBIP). Here is how my trip went:
Day 1 was a Saturday, and we essentially spent all day travelling. My group had to be at Hogan at quite an early hour (2:45 am!) to make the drive to Logan Airport. When 6:00 am approached, our flight had taken off to Charlotte, NC. When we arrived in Charlotte, we made our way across the airport to catch our connecting flight to Louisville, KY. After landing in Louisville around noon, we had a three-hour drive south to Whitley City ahead of us. Talk about a long day!
A highlight of Day 2 was attending a morning mass at Good Shepherd Catholic Chapel, Whitley City’s local church. After mass, we stayed back to introduce ourselves to churchgoers. This was the first of our many interactions with members of the Whitley City community, and all I have to say is that Southern hospitality is a very real thing! The second half of the day consisted of a hike to a waterfall and a potluck dinner with the locals we had met earlier.
Days 3 and 4 were our best days in terms of weather. The sun was shining, and the temperatures were warm enough to wear short sleeves. On these days, we spent most of our time at the construction site since our ultimate goal was building the foundation of a house for a member of the Whitley City community. Shoutout to our site contacts, Jim and Doug, for teaching us how to use a variety of power tools to get the job done!
We spent a very rainy Day 5 helping out at a care center and food pantry, as well as touring the local library. We capped off the day by attending another mass since it was Ash Wednesday, and once again, we decided to stay back after the conclusion of the mass to talk with some of the locals.
On Day 6, half of us were at the construction site, and the rest of the group was painting some of the rooms at the inn we were staying at. Fellow Her Campus member Nicole Ruiz and I braved the strong wind and cold temperature to once again work with some of the power tools. Thankfully, we had hand warmers!
On our final day in Whitley City, we said goodbye to our site contacts and started the long journey back to Worcester. Looking back on my time in Kentucky, I am very happy that I decided to do SBIP. It was quite an eye-opening experience, and I can safely say that I walked away from the experience with a sense of fulfillment. Knowing that I made a positive impact on a community in need is an unmatched feeling, and I will always look back on this trip with gratitude.