Thursday, January 24, 2019

Meet Guatemala Team 1! (Yoss & Justin)

Hello! We are one of two groups traveling to Guatemala as part of the University's alternative break service trip (ABST) program! We would like to introduce our group members:


Sarah Vicary is a current sophomore psychology major at Gannon. She chose Guatemala because she has always wanted to travel there. Sarah also had an exchange student from Guatemala tell her a lot about the country. Sarah is excited to immerse herself into the culture of the people and experience everything she possibly can. Something that is unique to her is that this will be her second service trip, as she traveled to Haiti in the summer of 2017 and is super excited to do more work in Guatemala.

Bailey Ross is a freshman physician assistant major. So far, she has enjoyed getting to grow closer to other group members. At Gannon, she is involved in GUSPAS and intermural sports. Bailey is excited to better understand Guatemalan culture and help in anyway she can. Bailey loves traveling and has even been to Cuba.

Madison (Madi) Wall is a freshman nursing student. She chose Guatemala to experience a new culture, learn more about herself, and add a new perspective to her worldview. While she is excited to use her abilities to aid others, Madi is a little nervous to try new foods. An interesting fact about Madi is that she used to be a synchronized swimmer.

Olivia White is also a freshman nursing major. She is excited to go on the trip to Guatemala to explore the world and to work alongside new people. Olivia has never traveled internationally, so she is both nervous and excited for what she anticipates being an incredible experience. While she is not afraid of airplanes, Olivia does have a phobia of blimps.

McKenna Haskins is one of the faculty accompaniers for our group. She is currently a graduate student in the Master’s of Sport and Exercise Science program. She is also working as a graduate assistant in the wellness department. She is excited to learn about a new culture and explore a new country. McKenna is also enjoying learning Spanish with the group. Interestingly enough, she was a four-year athlete in her undergraduate at Gannon and was the Women’s swim team captain.

Chad Indorf is the other faculty accompanier for our group. Chad currently serves as the Assistant Director of Intramurals and Sports Clubs at the Gannon recreation and wellness center. He has been an accompanier for the ABST domestic Habitat for Humanity trip and for the Australia TRAVEL trip. Chad is looking forward to continuing to build relationships with the group and share in this common experience.

Yoss Eisenbaum is one of the student leaders for the trip and a sophomore nursing major at Gannon. In addition to this, she is also the VP of administration for the Alpha Gamma Delta social sorority. In her free time, she loves to listen to music and hang out with friends. Yoss was born in Guatemala and adopted by a family in the United States. She has traveled a lot in the past few years and cannot wait to go back to her home country.

Justin Johnson is the other student leader for the Guatemala group. He is currently a sophomore social work and theology double major. On campus, Justin also serves as a resident assistant and as the VP of technology for the student government association. He is excited to travel to another country and encounter the people. Justin is passionate about social justice issues and values meaningful reflection. A unique talent of Justin’s is that he can put both his legs behind his head.

We are so excited for you all to share in this experience with us! Goodbye for now!

Sincerely,
Guatemala Team 1

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Welcome from Guatemala Group 2 Leaders!

Hello friends, partners, family, and all those in between, welcome to our Guatemala ABST blogspot! Our names are Hailey Wehner and Kishan Patel and we will be leading group two of the Guatemala ABSTs.

We will have two groups returning to San Lucas Toliman this year and are eager to invite you all into our journey. This year our group will have 4 participants, 2 leaders, and 2 accompaniers as we continue to know ourselves better, develop lifelong relationships, and make lasting memories throughout our experience. As one of the most popular ABST experiences, we are ecstatic to live the mission of the ABST program and continue the legacy.

Continuing throughout the course of this semester, we hope to invite you into our experience and look forward to sharing our story and the impacts that this beloved journey will provide us. Thank you for taking your time to read and we’re excited to share more!