Service Break Thesis

Hi Ms. Spencer,

It 's Jasmine! I 'm sorry you haven 't heard from me in so long - life goes by so fast in college and there 's always a new assignment a new due date as soon as you complete something. I 'm currently spending my spring break in Hoonah, Alaska, which is a small community (~1000 people) on an island in Southeast Alaska. Most of the people here are Alaska Natives - part of the Tlingit group, specifically.

I am here through North Carolina State University 's Alternative Service Break program, which basically enables students like me to spend our various breaks doing service in places around the state, country (like my team!), or even in other parts in the world. I applied for some money from the Park and fortunately, I was able to

This trip specifically focuses on youth education and Native American issues. Essentially, my team members are helping out in the classrooms (TAing in a way) and also trying to be a role model for the students by pushing the importance of education and college. A lot of these kids only know this community and many of the elders and their parents do not have a college education, so they do not understand the importance of education. It is hard to see if we are making an impact in such a short amount of time, and I know my 15 other team members are incredibly sad to be leaving the schools. As soon as the kids saw us Monday morning, they were all over us in excitement! The community has been nothing but kind and welcoming to us, sharing lodging, food, time, culture, and knowledge with us throughout this week. Aside from spending time in the schools, we have also been spending time in the Senior Center to eat lunch and connect with the elders of the community.

NC State has been sending an ASB team here every year for the past 9 years, and I feel bad that we are only here for such a short amount of time. The kids are connecting and trusting my team members, and I know that they will be asking for them next week - and for the month to come. It feels wrong to come here, connect with the kids, have them build a relationship with us, and proceed to leave and never come back (as next year 's team will be a new group of

The teachers are so incredibly selfless here. They have such huge hearts and they are constantly putting the kids before them, and they go above and beyond by buying supplies and snacks for the kids out of pocket. Every day I have seen the teachers as a source of inspiration for service, as they care so much and want to help the students as much as they can. And truly - they remind me of you! You are one of the most selfless and caring people I know, and I see you in many of the teachers and staff here. You were one of the first people to truly demonstrate to me how to serve others, and I cannot thank you enough for that. You have always been a role model to me and I hope to one day reach your level of compassion towards