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Hammering it Home: Sierra Nevada College students and teachers pose with some locals in El Salvador, where they helped build a house with Habitat for Humanity. Courtesy photo

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SNC Students Return from Habitat Trip to El Salvador

Out and About

Sierra Nevada College Assistant Business Professor Emily Rhodenbaugh, Senior Lecturer Laura Brunel-Canale, and 10 SNC students recently returned from a trip to El Salvador where they helped build a house with Habitat for Humanity.

SNC student Todd McAtavey reflected on his experiences in El Salvador: "I'm hoping that we see some real change in the social safety nets with the new Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) administration." McAtavey traveled to Africa last semester and was able to make clear comparisons with what is happening in Africa and Latin America regarding the inequalities that exist in the developing world.

Student Bob Hansen, under the guidance of SNC Science Professor Dr. Steve Ellsworth, is pursuing research related to deforestation in El Salvador and spent his free time searching for old-growth trees. “Bob's research proved to be valuable to the entire group as we all learned about current environmental concerns in El Salvador as well as programs that were helping to mitigate these issues,” said Rhodenbaugh. She went on to say that she foresees a Spanish, an international studies, and even a science component as being useful disciplines for future trips.  

SNC students will be completing creative critical thinking pieces based on their El Salvador experiences that will manifest in a variety of public forms across campus next semester. From the Fine Arts Department, Anza Jarschke is looking to point out the absurdity of painting concrete cinder blocks with water-based paint in an interpretive art piece, and Renee Vock and Arielle Shipe are planning to construct photo essays to be hung around campus that will document their experiences in El Salvador.

There will be future opportunities for faculty, students, and community members to participate with SNC’s International Service Learning trips — the college hopes to have another Habitat for Humanity trip in December 2010.

For more info, contact Emily Rhodenbaugh, erhodenbaugh@sierranevada.edu, (775) 831-1547, or Laura Brunel-Canale, lbrunelcanale@sierranevada.edu, (775) 831-1547.