Aqua Prieta, MX- Student Life crosses the Mexican border to help those in need. Over the past weekend, Student Life teamed up with an organization called Rancho Feliz to help families across the border. Headed from WNMU to Mexico, Student Life drove through Douglas, Arizona to their destination, Agua Prieta, Mexico. While on this trip, Student Life and Rancho Feliz helped the community by building houses. The team faced three days full of excitement, doing everything from mixing cement by hand for foundations to building houses. They also helped the community by cleaning an abandoned Jewish cemetery that was once filled with trash, as well as visiting a drug rehab.
When asked what she learned, Jayden Jones says, “I learned to be grateful for what you have, even if it’s nothing.”
Gloria Umutoni, another student on the trip, explained that she first wanted to go just to travel. When she got there, though, she explained that it wasn’t all about travel anymore. Gloria said that instead of the feeling to travel, she felt that it was more genuine. She states, “Oh my gosh, I got to help out, now that’s all I want to do.”
Student Life is a college-based organization on the WNMU campus that plans events across campus. They plan student focused activities and trips to help build community and strengthen friendships. Their main objective is to make everyone feel like they’re family.
While on this trip, the team met with an 11-year-old girl whose bones cannot support her. She was thought to have cerebral palsy by the team, but after talking to the family, they realized that was not the case. Her condition is known to the family, but could not be translated to English. Gloria expressed that she believed she would be sad seeing this little girl, but after realizing how happy and vibrant the girl was she was happy. It is clear from these two women that trips like this change people and humble them. Jayden suggests that students look for any trips that they can and to take advantage of what the student fees cover.
