For Alycia Buenger, a second-year student majoring in comparative studies, Spring Break 2011 was an eye-opening experience. Buenger, a native of Napoleon, Ohio volunteered to work with students and families living in the migrant community of Immokalee, Florida. She and other Ohio State students stayed in Friendship House, a homeless shelter for migrant workers and their families, most of whom do not speak English.

Working with school children enrolled in an after-school program was a powerful experience. “I fell in love with a class of first graders who renewed my faith in education,” Buenger said. “First, we played outside every day -- I worked out my arm muscles by lifting each child, time after time, onto the monkey bars, swinging kids around in dizzying circles, and throwing footballs to kids whose skills were far better than mine. Then, we spent a half hour on homework.”

The gaps in achievement among these children were disheartening. “There were some students who could write complete sentences, add and subtract, and put together small crafts with little to no assistance, but there were others who couldn't read or understand homework directions."

“I remember one student who didn't speak English. He could recognize the names of his classmates and teacher, and he could say the words, yes,no, please, and, I'm sorry. It was impossible for him to complete his homework. I felt helpless; what could I do? We couldn't communicate in a verbal sense, but our eyes seemed to have some slight connection. My smiles and his innocent stares became a way of assuring each other of our care for one another."

My favorite part of the trip was the moment I saw him smile

"We were playing on the playground equipment; he was wearing the same outfit he had worn for the previous four days, and I was smiling in his direction, waiting for him to come close enough for me to lift onto the monkey bars he so much enjoyed. He had waited his turn in line, and now he simply couldn't contain his excitement any longer. I saw a smile break at the corners of his mouth before it became a big, toothy kind of smile that brought tears to my eyes. That was the first time he had smiled all week. The moment was priceless."

Although Buenger has yet to decide what she wants to do after college, she knows she is interested in working for a nonprofit organization, or possibly, AmeriCorps, or Peace Corps.

The one thing Buenger has no uncertainty about, “I want to change lives.”