Ylaiza Perez, Lawrence, Massachusetts Resident Spends Spring Break Volunteering in Mexico

2014 Mar 26

Ylaiza Perez, a resident of Lawrence, Massachusetts and a member of the class of 2016 at Providence College, recently spent a week working in the Mexico, as part of the College's Feinstein Academic Institute's Alternative Spring Break 2014 program.

Perez was among 21 PC students who volunteered to spend their spring break to work in 2 different locations - the Dominican Republic and Mexico. The trips are part of a global studies course called Community Development in the Americas.

In the Dominican Republic, 11 students collaborated with an organization called Outreach360. They worked at an orphanage and taught health and wellness as part of a health and education initiative through the organization.

In Tijuana, Mexico, 10 students worked with the organization Esperanza--an organization that helps build communities (both physically and relationally) along the US/Mexico border. They built homes and addressed social issues including immigration and education.

Providence College is the only college or university in the United States administered by the Dominican Friars. The Catholic, liberal arts college has an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 3,900 students and offers degrees in 49 academic majors. Since 1997, Providence College has consistently been ranked among the five regional universities in the north according to U.S. News' America's Best Colleges.