“Summer break” can sometimes be a misnomer. Here are a few Oglethorpe students making the most out of their summers, and at times stepping outside their comfort zones.
Dylan Harper ’19, an Engineering major and Business minor, was accepted into the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Leadership Academy in Baltimore this summer.
Dylan Harper ’20 (left) visiting the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
He was able to connect with Alpha Phi Alpha brothers from across the country at the week-long academy that included seminars and activities aimed to help the attendees to develop and improve effective leadership skills. Dylan, the president of the Upsilon Omicron chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. at Oglethorpe, was looking to gain leadership strategies to help his fraternity grow and succeed on campus.
“I was amazed at how all of us, despite our differences, were able to hang out, share stories, and discuss issues so intimately. This sense of unity through a common passion is what I find at Oglethorpe,” Dylan said about his experience. “The most impactful part was our time at the John E. Howard Community Center. We got to play games and speak with children who attended the community center on a regular basis. We were told that these children were encouraged to spend time at the center because it served as a stable environment for those who couldn’t find one at home. Seeing the community in which these children are living really opened my eyes to the fact that there are places that are in dire need of change and improvement.”
LaBreshia Taylor ’18 will plan and lead Alternative Break trips for Oglethorpe students.
When Biopsychology major LaBreshia Taylor ’18 returns to campus this fall, she will step into her role as an Alternative Break Student Ambassador in Oglethorpe’s Center for Civic Engagement. She will lead alternative breaks, a chance for students to spend their “time off” by addressing a specific community issue by learning about the issue and serving the community.
To prepare, LaBreshia attended an Alternative Break Conference this summer, hosted by Break Away, an Atlanta-based national nonprofit that promotes quality alternative break programs through training, assisting, and connecting campuses and communities. The conference brings together students from across the country to help them learn how to better plan and facilitate alternative break programs on their own campuses.
“I really want to work on growing our Alternative Break program,” said LaBreshia. “Though we are a small school and we don’t always have the resources to do as many things as larger state schools, I feel that there are small changes we can make not only to enhance our Alternative Break program, but service on our campus as a whole.”
“Even though it was my first Break Away conference experience, I was chosen to be a site leader/team captain for the week,” said LaBreshia, who felt personally challenged at the conference. “The other site leaders and I had to arrive a few days earlier to train and prepare before all other participants arrived. All of the other site leaders had previous Break Away experience; for some this was their second and third conference. At times I felt very nervous because this was my first time and I was already charged with the task of leading an entire group. If it was not for my co-captain Vanessa, I would have been super lost at times! But this experience really let me know that it is okay to say ‘I don’t know.’ It does not mean that you are less or that you know less, it means that you are willing to admit your flaws and are accepting to learning.”
