“Solidarity, not charity.” This is the slogan used by mutual aid organizations around the country, and was a major theme students learned about during Nazareth’s Alternative Break to Washington, D.C., during January 2023.
My name is Elena Baugh, and I am a senior biology major with a minor in psychology here at Nazareth. On campus, I am an Admissions front desk worker, an Alternative Break leader, an inclusive excellence assistant for our LGBTQ+ Resource Center, and a student researcher in the biology department. At face value, it may seem that none of these roles intersect. There are little obvious connections between Queer education, assisting prospective first-year students, and chromosome research. However, as I have become increasingly involved in Nazareth Alternative Breaks, it has become the glue of my undergraduate experience, and has set the tone for my life’s work.
In Washington D.C, the Alternative Break that I had the privilege of leading was concerned with equitable distribution of resources and power. Our group worked with the Steinbruck Center at Luther Place. The week started with service at Capital Area Food Bank, where we were able to interact with many other volunteers and make over 400 meal boxes together. We then spent time at Bread for the City, a food pantry in D.C’s Ward 8. Our group alone made over 700 meal bags. Oftentimes, this organization DoorDashes out 1,000 meals a day to their neighborhood.
We continued our break doing hot breakfast programs and clothing distribution early in the mornings, at So Others Might Eat (SOME), and Charlie’s Place. SOME engaged our break participants in serving over 150 meals. At Charlie’s Place, we were able to truly connect with the people who organize the programs, the people who use the program, and those who volunteer regularly. Our students engaged in a hot lunch program at Central Union Mission, and the week ended with volunteering at Martha’s Table. Here, our students helped with their weekly produce market and even got to cook some delicious carrot ginger soup!
These fast-paced, immersive volunteering opportunities we experienced in just one week made a lasting impression on each of our participants. The Alternative Breaks motto is “Learn, Connect, Grow,” and our group did just this. We learned the intimate value of solidarity and conversation, we connected with leaders in the Washington community, and we each grew to understand and dismantle some of our own biases about those who are unhoused and the support they receive from these fantastic organizations. This particular Alt. Break group consisted of 6 participants, and everyone agreed that our tight-knit group actively learned about one another, connected for life, and grew together as changemakers.
Nazareth is a hub for community engagement. Our Weider Community Engagement office oversees many opportunities for students to become involved, no matter their major or their year. Clubs on campus are designated for volunteering, and our sports teams are often supporting causes. Alternative Breaks is student led and supported. We are the ones making decisions. We are educating others about these fantastic programs. We are becoming changemakers. There is nothing like an Alternative Break, and the magic in it makes it one of the most worthwhile experiences of a lifetime.
This May, I graduate from Nazareth. I will become a genetics graduate student at the University of Buffalo, and start the next chapter of my life. Moving to a new place, meeting new people and starting new projects is always exciting, yet a little intimidating.
Alternative Breaks is the glue that connects everything because it has given me the courage and the skills to dive in headfirst to new experiences. I feel confident, I feel like a leader, and I am ready to learn. I look forward to bringing the things I’ve learned from Alt Breaks to Buffalo, and to my career, while I push for equity and justice in science. Coming away from these experiences, I know that the Alt Breaks magic is real. I was accepted into my graduate program on our last day, and that proved to me that this experience glues everything at Naz together. I hope that everyone gets to experience these amazing opportunities at Nazareth at least once.
Elena Baugh ‘23 majored in biology and minored in psychology.