Dr. Verlinden with CofC students during Alternate Spring Break in Guatemala.
Nine pre-med College of Charleston students (Caroline Bauknecht, Anna Burgin, Aly Cohan, Rachel Harper, Ian Mathies, Julia Moss, Francis Naranjo, Holly Beth Olsen, and Erin Stewart) spent their 2013 spring break in and around Antigua, Guatemala, performing general medical check-ups, distributing vitamins and anti-parasitic medicines, and educating impoverished children about health, hygiene and nutrition. They also spent several afternoons volunteering in a hospital and home for children and adults with physical and mental disabilities. The trip planned and led by sophomores Rachel Harper and Erin Stewart, with the invaluable support from Maggie Szeman, Assistant Director of the Center for Civic Engagement, gave students the opportunity to practice Spanish and deepen their cross-cultural understanding, learning first-hand about social and medical issues in this Central American nation. Dr. Marianne Verlinden was the Alternative Spring Break advisor on this trip.