Erika Sánchez

Service learning: I went to Puebla, Mexico, with the International Human Services Program. My group worked at two sites: a private Catholic boarding school for boys and a government-funded orphanage. The boarding school was very structured, and we helped with educational activities, such as working on the children’s English skills. The orphanage was poorly staffed; we showed the kids affection and played with them, brought them balls for sports, did some arts and crafts. It was very emotional working at the orphanage.

Memorable moment: A 17-year-old girl at the orphanage took me aside and asked me whether she should run away or not. Because we'd studied the social situation at Northeastern before going, I realized that I knew about the dangers on the streets—drugs and prostitution—but she didn't. I advised her to stay.

Education value: In my major, I study the patterns of behavior among groups of people. In Mexico, we learned first-hand about migration, immigration, AIDS, juvenile delinquency, the role of the Church, and more through discussions and visits with people from government and nongovernmental organizations.

Expectation vs. reality: In class, we studied and read about the issues. We tried to be prepared. But it was nothing to actually seeing the poverty and experiencing how people lived.

Lesson learned: The greatest lesson I learned, which may be a cliché, is how to appreciate what I have. It also made me realize how much more interested I am in learning about Latin-American culture and doing service trips to other countries.