From the nation’s capital to the “Happiest Place on Earth,” two teams of UNC Asheville students spent their spring breaks learning and serving—and squeezing in some fun. One team headed south for a leadership development program at Disney World, while a second team journeyed to Washington D.C. to engage in service learning experiences focused on hunger and homelessness.
Brianna Caraccio, a senior majoring in economics, already had some experience working with nonprofits focused on hunger and homelessness in Kenya, and she’s currently in a course on economics in food systems. So traveling to Washington D.C. to serve in and learn from various nonprofit organizations addressing hunger issues felt like a natural fit to her.
“When I learn about this type of thing, my heart gets excited,” Caraccio said. “I really value the sustainable development that is behind these organizations, and the empowering of people in general. I chose economics because I wanted to learn how the systems work, how different groups of people are either supported or not supported. And what I can do to help.”
Caraccio and her team visited four different organizations during their week in D.C., each with its own approach to tackling the persistent problem of hunger and homelessness. Each day provided an opportunity to not only spend some time volunteering with the organization, but also learn about their work. Caraccio said she was impressed by the employees and volunteers in these organizations.
Originally published April 12, 2018.
