Video: Students Break to Build Homes

While many college students choose to head to the beach or the slopes during their spring and winter breaks, students at NYIT have the option to help others and see the world as part of the Alternative Break program. Students Hinali Shah (B.Arch. ’18) and Devin Zacchino (B.F.A. ’18) participated in alternative breaks in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, respectively, during the 2016–2017 academic year. They spoke about their experiences during a Facebook Live session on October 2.

As selected images from the trips appeared on screen, Zucchino and Shah recounted the people and places that made their service trips so special. Both agreed that the trips were life changing, and they encouraged other students to sign up for the next trip to the Dominican Republic. (The application deadline is October 6.)

Every year during NYIT’s breaks in January and March, NYIT students and faculty and staff members travel to an area in need to lend a helping hand. Past NYIT Alternative Break locations include Peru, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. NYIT partners with Bridges to Community, a nonprofit with the two-part mission to improve the lives of impoverished communities in developing countries through volunteer service trips, and to simultaneously educate and transform those volunteers to be more aware of the connections we all share and the ways we can impact our lives for the better. 

Learn more and apply for the next trip.