Elizabethtown College students had a week off from their studies from March 3 through March 11. Over the break, students participated in a variety of activities.

Some of our Blue Jays traveled to foreign countries over the break.

Sophomore Anajulia Blanch went to Jamaica on a service trip called “Won by One.” She learned about the trip from a friend who has been on this service trip seven times.

“I wanted to go on this trip so that I could grow in my faith and experience the difference between the cultures in Jamaica and the United States,” she explained. “We had the opportunity to disconnect from every distraction.”

While in Jamaica, Blanch worked alongside two other groups from Pennsylvania.

“Together we visited an infirmary to communicate with the residents, worked in a local greenhouse and gave lesson plans in the local elementary while interacting with the kids after academic work was finished,” she said.

Blanch’s favorite part of the trip was meeting an individual in the infirmary who changed her life.
“The person has only one leg, no family to turn to and few things to call his own,” she said. “He is content and happy because God gave him the gift of life.”

The men’s soccer team traveled to Manchester, England, for a soccer tournament.

Sophomore Tommy Kulikowski scored two goals at a game vs. Manchester University and first-year Reed Browning scored the other one. The final score of the game was 3-0.

“My favorite part of the trip was the Preston vs. Bristol City football match we attended,” Kulikowski said. “The rate of play was fast, and it was good championship football with an amazing atmosphere.”

The women’s and men’s tennis teams were to Orlando, Florida to play tennis at the USTA National Campus. The team played a total of three matches.

“We played some tough competition, but had good matches,” junior Meghan Chemidlin said.

“Everyone fought until the end and never gave up; that is something we are all proud of. We are ready for the season!”

Chemidlin most enjoyed playing against talented athletes.

“I also loved spending time in Disney with the team,” she said.

Sophomore Sarah Donner also attended the trip.

“We loved the warm weather and the bonding experience,” she said. “In our spare time, we went to the Cardinals vs. Braves baseball game at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, as well as practicing tennis and going to the pool.”

Some students utilized the break to relax. First-year Emily Barber enjoyed being home and spending time with her family.

“My favorite part was my hometown’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration,” she said. “It is a lot of fun for the entire community, and I got to see so many of my friends!”

Senior Tommy Hopkins enjoyed going on a bar crawl in Philadelphia called Erin Express with his friends from home. Additionally, Hopkins has been applying for jobs and watching Netflix.

Sophomore Joe Santos went home for spring break. He worked at his local diner as a server.

“My favorite was spending time with my family and sleeping in,” Santos said.

Assistant of Professor of Political Science and Asian Studies Dr. Dan Chen utilized the time away from college to focus on working on her manuscript.

“I made progress in data collection and analysis, which will be last empirical chapter of my book,” she explained. “Being productive was the best part!”