Izzie Kirkwood ~ Intern
During spring break, students from the University of Lynchburg traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana to complete a service project.
The team was led by Dr. James Roux, professor of Communications and a partner with Youth Rebuilding New Orleans.
Roux originally started the annual service project in 2015 in order to aid those in New Orleans who had been affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
He believed that it was important to help the people of Louisiana on the 10-year anniversary of one of their most devastating natural disasters while also helping students prepare for the future.
“We started after Katrina to help rebuild NOLA,” Roux said. “And students were interested in getting service and volunteer experience.”
The group of nine left Lynchburg on March 11, and arrived by van in New Orleans 14 hours later.
They spent the next five days working on rebuilding houses, paving sidewalks, and experiencing the culture of Crescent City.
“The more we experience new places through travel we learn that others are not so different from us in many ways and understanding different cultures allows us to appreciate them more,” Roux explained.
Senior and member of the Bonner Leader Program, Seymon Simmons attended the service trip.
“N.O.L.A. To me means- Never Overthink, Love Always… you never know what’s behind the smile,” says Simmons.
The team returned to Lynchburg on Saturday, March 18th.
To find out more about domestic study away programs visit the Center for Global Education.
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