Spring Break Destination, New Orleans
By Miguel A. Garcia
The Rattler

        While most college students are out tanning and partying across the world’s beaches, a small group of dedicated participants depart for a service immersion trip to New Orleans. There mission is simple; lend out a helping hand to those living in affected areas by hurricane Katrina. It will be an experience that these St. Mary’s students will never forget.

            The Community Leadership Class at St. Mary’s is taught by Prof. Patricia Mejia who has had extensive experience in community participation. This semester the class was almost completely dedicated to the study of community leadership based on New Orleans and the effects of leadership before, during, and after hurricane Katrina. The class read several books, held many discussions, and watched the HBO documentary, “When the Levees Broke,” to better understand the concepts and opinions about community in general.        

            The students in the class were not required to attend the New Orleans immersion trip but they were required to do some type of community service. Yet an overwhelming amount of the class decided to give up their spring breaks and travel to New Orleans for a time of work, learning, and experience. Upon arrival the students found themselves in unfamiliar, and at times, uncomfortable areas. This was the blatant truth; the class would have to work to create a community where diverse opinions would have to find common ground.

            Students found themselves having to live with reduced personal space and the need to share facilities with many others. Yet the class soon realized that this was nothing compared to the many thousands of citizens that still had no homes to return too. After almost two years since hurricane Katrina, people were still living in trailers and houses remained destroyed. This hit the students as a surprise when they began to tour many locations in New Orleans and the surrounding areas.

            The community service project was the gutting of a rectory office building that had been completely flooded by about eight feet of water during hurricane Katrina. The walls and ceilings were gathering mold and besides the building lay what once was a beautiful church. The marble walls stood, yet the roof and windows were completely gone with almost no sign that they ever existed. The students soon began the vigorous work of ripping off walls and taking down ceilings in the rectory.

            The work was not for the lighthearted and many students found themselves doing things they would have probably never attempted anywhere else. Students with goggles and face masks walked from room to room with the tools needed for work. Hammers, crowbars, and wheelbarrows were the main tools used to finish the project but the most important tool of all was the students who possessed a resilience to make a difference in the community.

             Many people, that had experienced the storm first hand, were willing to share their experiences with the students. Many of them told stories of courage but most were filled with a sorrow that seemed to plague those who had been directly affected by the catastrophe. This helped the class realize that even a small amount of their time and help was valuable.

            During the last few days the class went out into the city to experience the culture of New Orleans. This included a stop to a local coffee shop and a Cajun restaurant with a flare of jazz where people of all ages danced to old time music.

The students also traveled to the beautiful, and seemingly, unaffected French Quarter where Bourbon Street turned out to be the hottest destination. All this reminded the class of why it was important to restore New Orleans and preserve its many traditions.

            Upon departure from New Orleans the community leadership class was completely changed. Not only had trust and friendships been developed but everyone left with high spirits on their accomplishments. There had been times of uncertainty and conflict, but in the end it seemed that the class had come to a realization of the true purpose of a working community. In one week the students had done and experienced more than anything they could have learned sitting in a classroom for a whole semester.