Naz offers many different opportunities for students to go on trips throughout their college career. These include alternative breaks, solidarity and social justice retreats, and short-term study abroad programs. One such trip is the Civil Rights Journey, a solidarity and social justice retreat.
The Civil Rights Journey is an 8-day experience that takes Naz students to Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. There are typically 20 available spots for this trip, and it is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. The purpose of this journey is understand the history of the Civil Rights Movement through experiential learning. Throughout the trip, participants volunteer and visit many historic sites and museums dedicated to the Civil Rights Movement. Students and faculty also develop a deeper knowledge of segregation and racism, and learn more about the Sisters of St. Joseph, who participated in the civil rights struggle, and their direct connection to us as Nazareth College’s founders.
I personally embarked on the Civil Rights Journey to step outside my comfort zone. I was first exposed to aspects of the Civil Rights Movement during elementary school, and since then I have grown more curious about the effects of the movement on our country today. I believe stepping outside of your comfort zone is crucial to learning, growing, and gaining new opportunities, which is why embarking on the journey was important to me. I wanted to gain new knowledge on civil rights, and be able to see landmarks in person, rather than just inside textbooks.
I’m very thankful to have gone on this trip with other members of the Nazareth College community. One of my favorite aspects of the trip was our day of service in Selma, Alabama. Naz is very involved in community service, and it was great to bring this aspect of our campus community down south. There, students were given different sites to volunteer at for the day. Along with two other students, I volunteered to help organize a thrift store before lunch, and afterwards, I volunteered to create bags of school supplies for the students of Selma. This experience was enlightening as I truly felt the traits of community, belonging, support, and empathy that are present in Selma, Alabama. As a Nazareth College community, we went to support those in the community of Selma, and we were lead by community leaders who help others in Selma on a daily basis. 
Throughout these experiences, I noticed how others empathized for each other and got along so well, despite the struggles they faced in life.
While in Mississippi, we visited two museums. One museum portrayed the history of Mississippi, while the other contained information and visuals pertaining to the Civil Rights Movement, which is a crucial aspect of the state’s history. The experience I had there was truly amazing, however, the conversation I had about it with Dr. Nowak, one of the faculty members on the trip was even better. After we exited the museum, we touched on our experiences there, and our experience on the trip thus far. Many people may assume having faculty members on a trip with college students seems like chaperoning, but this is not the case. I engaged in many meaningful conversations and experiences with not only students, but faculty and staff who were there to learn as well.
At our last stop, we visited the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. This museum contained more intriguing information on the Civil Rights Movement, with depictions of the segregated lunch counters and schools that were present in the era. The most interesting and heart breaking aspect of this museum was the ending section. This museum contains the Lorraine Motel room in which Dr. King stayed before he was assassinated. It was helpful to have faculty members present during this, as some stops on the trip can cause emotions to arise. I was very thankful to have a support system from Naz throughout the Civil Rights Journey.
Overall, I am very thankful to have gone on the Civil Rights Journey with members of the campus community at Naz. I believe everyone should apply to this annual trip once they become a student at Naz as it can truly change your perspective on different aspects of our history, and it gives you the chance to visit many different historic sites while bonding with other students. In the end, I learned a great deal of new information, and truly sensed an aspect of community and belonging throughout the journey thanks to students and staff at Naz. This journey is incredible and is beneficial to everyone; it can have a strong impact on the way you view our society on a daily basis.