Journaling the Journey: A Senior Project in Service and Learning

For their senior project, 16 members of the Class of 2025 participated in a Greatest Good McDonogh trip to Puerto Rico. The late May excursion, coordinated by Global Works, offered students the opportunity to experience a new culture, explore the island (from city to rainforest), and engage in hands-on service work with communities still feeling the effects of Hurricane Maria in 2017. Greatest Good McDonogh Director Jen Pineau '97 and environmental science teacher Dr. Josh Jones enhanced the adventure with their expertise in service learning and the environment. Read about the trip in the students' own words.

Monday, May 19

by Kyle Walton, Cole Karpovich, and Langston Riding

We arrived in San Juan, and everybody was ecstatic. Our first activity was lunch at The New Reef. Everyone loved their meals, but we didn't like the rain! Fortunately, it cleared up for our walking tour in Old San Juan. Each destination was covered in a rich and unique culture. We ended the trip to San Juan on a sweet note! Popsicles! We then traveled to the Big Yellow House, where we'd stay for the next few days.

Tuesday, May 20

by Tyler Crimmins, Jonas Levy, Josh Maller, and Rolando Martinez-Aguilar

Today we poured concrete! After breakfast, we left the Big Yellow House and drove to the house we are working on. We saw how many people in Puerto Rico live and met the people we are working with. None of them spoke English, so it was a good opportunity to work on our Spanish. We are working on the roof and got over half of it done today, despite the heat, the rain, and everyone being wet and dirty.

Wednesday, May 21

by Mia Oh, Marco Ochs, and Tenley Lambert

Absolute scorcher today with high humidity, but also hard work. We started around 10:30 a.m., beat the Global Works record average of 60 bags of concrete a day, and finished our work on the roof with an hour to spare. We ended our time with [hosts] William, Eggy, and Angel. They gifted us bracelets with Puerto Rican flags on them to remember the work we put in to serve the community and the locals' gratitude, but also as a reminder of the hardship that Hurricane Maria still has on the people of Puerto Rico.

When we got back, everyone rushed to get changed for the beach, and we had an incredible time surrounded by beautiful scenery. Hungry and tired, we came back to the Big Yellow House and chowed down on a traditional Puerto Rican meal. Then we had salsa [dancing] lessons. After learning some basic moves and stepping on toes, we began getting the groove down, even mastering some complex steps.

Thursday, May 22

by Julia Waldron, London James-Golas, and Caroline Birdsall

Today, we left the Big Yellow House and made a pit stop at a cacao farm where we split into groups, with some of us filtering soil and some of us taking inventory of the cacao trees. We were able to help do three weeks' worth of work in just a few hours. When the work was complete, we had a hearty lunch and tasted the chocolate manufactured next to the property. It was delicious, 80% cacao, and much better than the stuff you find in the States.

We then left the farm and headed to our next stop, Casa Coral, with stunning views of the ocean and river right outside our rooms. Our last adventure of the day was paddleboarding. We paddled up the river and learned about the nature and wildlife that surrounds us. We were taught about the many kinds of mangrove trees and the animals that they house. We discussed the need for nature and how we can help take care of the world around us. We were also able to see turtle nests that were being protected.

Friday, May 23

by Bella Drenner, Gwyneth Gamber, and Suvali Pokharel

We hiked to El Yunque and trekked through the rocks and forest. It was a beautiful and unique experience that taught us the history and tradition of the Taino people. We even got to see petroglyphs that were hundreds of years old. After the hike, we went to the Kioskos for lunch and spent the rest of the day "beaching it out."