I’ve done my fair share of programs and opportunities here at BU, but this past spring break I participated in my best experience at BU to date. I was a co-coordinator for Alternative Service Breaks and led a trip down to Louisburg, North Carolina to volunteer at Terrell Lane Middle School. While we had been preparing our trip since mid October, I had done little research about the actual community of Louisburg and Terrell Lane. Leaving North Carolina on Saturday night was hard to do. I fell in love with the community of Louisburg and how they welcomed 10 strangers into their home. The kids at Terrell Lane have so much potential despite the resources they need not being there. I had found a home at Terrell Lane for a week. The administrators raved about how awesome their kids were and the teachers played multiple roles throughout the school. I had never seen so much love in a school before.
While the idea of ASB makes me analyze privilege in so many different ways. I love what my group was able to accomplish. We left a legacy, but more importantly enforced the idea that the teachers and administrators will go to back for them. Louisburg is a community I would be honored to be apart of. It makes me think about the impact of presence and what a teacher in the classroom means. I’ll fight for those kids and kids like them and schools like them always. There potential is unmatched and they show love to everyone who enters their doors. ASB will have a special place in my heart and the “Tornadoes” of Terrell Lane will never be forgotten. Building relationships with my volunteers and learning more about our community partner were highlights of the trip. However, listening to the stories of the students and adults in Louisburg makes it a place worth remembering.
While they have completely messed up my believed life plan, I am thankful for ASB and for Terrell Lane.