A Spring Break From the Ordinary
Hundreds of Howard University students descended on New Orleans, but not to party
By Michelle J. Nealy
NEW ORLEANS
The stereotypical spring break experience generally includes hordes of college students invading Florida’s beaches, basking in the sun by day and partying by night. But there are alternatives, and more than 250 Howard University students found one.
They decided to spend their break in New Orleans as part of the university’s Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program called “Commissioned: Taking Action and Making Change.”
Last month, students and chaperones departed from Washington, D.C., on a 20-hour bus trip to the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged city. Many thought that they would change New Orleans; few expected that New Orleans would change them as well.
An overwhelming number of students chose to participate in the program after it was announced that the students would be traveling to the Crescent City.
“Initially, we had only planned to bring 50 students,” says the Rev. Dr. Bernard Richardson, dean of Howard’s Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel and the lead organizer of the trip. He says the students’ enthusiasm forced his staff to alter their plans.
