Alex Bretz, Natalie Alexander, and Kayla Scott's Spring Break Service Trips

This past Spring Break while many of us relaxed, traveled, and spent time with sisters, Alex Bretz, Natalie Alexander, and Kayla Scott chose to spend their spring breaks giving back to those less fortunate on service trips!  Alex traveled to Cusco, Peru and Natalie and Kayla traveled to El Salvador.

Alex is a member of Medlife at FSU and throughout the year was able to raise $1,000 to go on her trip to Cusco, Peru.  This funded primary medical services as there are many in Cusco who lack access to quality health care.  For three days, she got the chance to help run the mobile clinics and shadow physicians.  In addition, Medlife also has a Healthy Homes project and Alex was able to help out with this by installing new stoves and refurbishing rooms in a community of need.  On the last day of her trip, Alex even got to visit Machu Picchu!


















Natalie and Kayla traveled to El Salvador on a mission trip where they were able to share their faith and make a difference in the community.  They worked with an organization called Filters of Hope to install water filters around the community.  Around 98% of the water is contaminated so these filters will really make a positive difference in these peoples lives!  During this time they were also able to share their faith with many locals!  On the last day of the trip, they even got to hike a volcano!











We are so proud of Alex, Natalie and Kayla for spending their spring breaks helping those less fortunate and are so glad they had successful and safe trips!

More Than Spring "Break"

While many sisters spent their spring break relaxing at home or traveling to beaches near and far, a few sisters spent their week-long break volunteering out of the country.

Sisters, Mackenzie Hall and Carly Roman (also big and little), traveled together to Ecuador to participate in MEDLIFE's medical mission trip. While in Ecuador, they helped rural communities receive critical access to health care. They also helped build a staircase that allowed the community in Riobamba, Ecuador to receive important resources, such as electricity. Despite long days of work, they were still able to explore Ecuador and see mountains, volcanoes, and waterfalls nearby. Carly stated that "the area was absolutely beautiful and so was the experience". Several other colleges across the United States, including USC and Ohio State, also participated in this particular mission trip.

Shannon Nichols, a Communications Science & Disorders major, flew to Guatemala to spend her spring break working with hearing-impaired locals in the area. Alongside fellow classmates and professors within her major, she helped perform 200 hearing tests, allocated 55 hearing aids, and even assisted in constructing a home for a single-mother in Panajachel, Guatemala. Shannon felt that this trip gave her a whole new perspective on the world and reaffirmed her passion for her major. She said that this trip "made me realize that my future profession will truly make a difference in people's quality of life".

These three women are just a few of the many sisters in our chapter that have an undying passion to help others. We are all extremely proud of your selflessness and the life-changing impacts you have made on people all across the world. We hope that one day, we will all be able to make as big of an impact on the world as you three have!

Shannon Nichols- VP of the Student Academy of Audiology

Shannon Nichols is the Vice President of the Student Academy of Audiology, a club that encourages awareness about the field of audiology and offers opportunities to volunteer and gain experience. 

"As VP, I will be assisting the President in organizing events such as free hearing screenings, our annual kickball tournament, and other fundraising events for our club. A huge event that I am excited to begin fundraising for is our spring trip to Guatemala, where we will treat hearing loss of locals and provide technology they need to communicate better. We will also be building homes, donating lots of supplies, and helping to put as many kids as we can afford through school. 

"I became VP because I'm extremely passionate about audiology, my future career field, due to personal experience with hearing loss. I understand the importance of communication for social, educational, and emotional wellbeing, so I really want to spread awareness about hearing loss prevention and treatment in order to help others. I want to leave a positive impact on the community and help build SAA to be the best it can be."

Spring Break Mission Trips!

Over Spring Break, two of our sisters went on mission trips. Jenn Coates travelled to Grenada, where she worked with a school called PAM (program for adolescent mothers). Hannah Emerson went to Riobamba, Ecuador on a MEDlife trip.

Jenn says, “girls get kicked out of school in Grenada for being pregnant so here they are able to get a ‘second chance.’ It has a day care for them to bring their children and it gives them an education as well as teach them parenting skills. When we got there, we taught about teen dating violence, so like healthy relationships, boundaries, etc. We also taught about character development, so like future goals that they had, obstacles they had to go through, and better ways of communication.”

Hannah says, “we had 3 days of clinic, which included treating patients of all ages as well as teaching the children how to brush their teeth. We had one project day where we built concrete stairs that lead and down a mountain for a community. It is incredible that in a country only a short plane ride away, everything is different. My favorite part of the trip was witnessing the impact that simple healthcare made for the different people and communities. This trip reminded me of what a privilege it is to have access to things that many of us take for granted such as running water, food and healthcare. It was amazing seeing that such a minor thing such as a toothbrush or a sticker could make a child's day.”

Winter Break: Serving Others #AltruisticAXO #FSUAXO

Many of our sisters spent their Winter break serving others on mission trips!

Savannah Brenner and Mckayla Michaud were in Peru and Katie Leatherbury was in Ecuador, all of whom were on Medlife trips. 

Mckayla describes her and Savannah’s trip to Peru: “This December, I was lucky enough to be able to travel to Cusco, Peru for 9 days on a medical mission trip through the organization MedLIFE. MedLIFE stands for Medicine, Education, Development for Low Income Families Everywhere, and we were able to provide just that. Each day a group of doctors, MEDLIFE staff, and a group of students set up a mobile clinic in a different village in Cusco. Upon arriving to the clinic, patients would be educated on different types of cancers, diabetes and general health issues, that unfortunately most knew little about. After going through the education station, patients would go to a triage (nursing) station and then would e sent to their respective medical, OBGYN and/or dental station. I was able to shadow doctors at each of these stations and watch and learn as they provided the medical care and prescriptions each patient deserved. I have come back from this trip with a new perspective on how easy it is to make an impact on someone’s life, whether it’s taking time to simply educate someone, sharing a smile and always treating every individual with the same respect and care that we all deserve. This trip has been the experience of a lifetime and Cusco will always have a place in my heart.”

Jillian Cawley travelled all the way to Uganda and says about her experience, "If only they knew how much they've changed me. Working with children who are deaf/autistic/etc. has made me so much more excited to pursue a career in speech pathology and taught me so much about compassion and life itself. All the hugs and smiles were so worth the drool and occasional slaps."

Katie in Ecuador

Savannah and Mckayla in Peru

Jillian in Uganda

Compiled by Mackenzie Murray, Publications Chair 2016