Penn State New Kensington Students Volunteer in Puerto Rico

UPPER BURRELL, Pa. During the week of March 7-14, 2015, Penn State New
Kensington students and staff will travel to Puerto Rico fulfill service opportunities
for the local communities. The trip is part of the campuses increasing efforts to
promote global, environmental health and wellness and cross-cultural
understanding by interacting with other programs that strive to create a healthy
environment.
Penn State New Kensington will be partnering with an organization called Amizade
in order to provide the students with a productive program to follow while in Puerto
Rico. The students will be focusing on the main mission, to better the community
and environment, but will also get to experience the local features that Puerto Rico
has to offer. The students in their free time will get to visit the El Yunque Rainforest,
local beaches, museums, Old San Juan, as well as experience the local foods,
culture, and dancing.
Lauren Blum, the Student Life Coordinator at Penn State New Kensington, will be
responsible for developing the curriculum that the students will complete during the
trip and planning and arranging the entire trip while working right beside them each
day.
We partnered with a company called Amizade, this is an organization based out of
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania that manage safe volunteering trips and encourage global
service learning opportunities, stated Blum. We chose Puerto Rico because it
would be a great experience for the school to work with Amizade and for the
students to learn about other cultures while giving back to the community.
Blum will be travelling with 10 students that will be a part of this program over
spring break. One of the students traveling alongside Blum was able to experience
2014s spring break trip in Washington, D.C. Sandra Muhhuku, a sophomore at Penn
State New Kensington, was able to experience the previous spring break trip and
now has another opportunity to do so again. I plan on making the most of this trip
and keeping an open mind, stated Muhhuku. I havent even been to Puerto Rico
but I am happy and excited to get to experience another trip again, she said.
After the trip is over it is required for the students to complete an assignment and
present their findings to other students, staff, and facility sharing what they gained
from this unique experience.
ABOUT PENN STATE NEW KENSINGTON:
Penn State New Kensington offers a high-quality blend of academic programs,
teaching, research, student support, scholarships and community engagement. Our
bachelors degree programs are a major draw for incoming students. Eighty-six
percent of our freshmen seek four-year degrees in Administration of Justice,
Business, Communications, Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology,
Informational Sciences Technology, Nursing, Organizational Leadership and
Psychology (B.A. and B.S.). In addition, we offer unique associate degree programs,

such as Radiological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Technology. We are the

only Penn State campus that grants an associate degree in biomedical engineering
technology, and our program is one of only seven in the United States to be
accredited by ABET.

ABOUT AMIZADE:

Tens of thousands of individuals have helped make Amizade what it is today an

organization dedicated to mutual empowerment through service and learning.
Amizade collaborates with universities, high schools, and community groups to design
and manage safe and empowering global service-learning and volunteer programs. In
partnership with its local community partners, Amizade organizes volunteer
opportunities for individuals seeking to serve outside of their home community.
Amizade works closely with communities all over the world to develop and manage
sustainable and empowering initiatives. In the process, we create strong cross-cultural
bonds and new global citizens. Amizade acts as a catalyst for improvement in
international education, developing innovative curriculum and sector changing ideals
like Fair Trade Learning.
For more information about Penn State New Kensington please refer to their website
http://nk.psu.edu/default.htm. For additional information about Amizade, please visit
their website https://amizade.org/.

Contact Information:
Brooke Churma
Undergraduate in the College of Communications
Penn State New Kensington
3550 Seventh Street Road
Upper Burrell, PA 15068
bjc5328@psu.edu