Students Spend Spring Break Amid History

Front row, from left, Raven Willis, Whitney Kimball, Sarah Maddox, Sallie Nowell, Evelyn Roche, Danisha Jordan, Juleia Green, Christopher Onyia, Adrienne London, Juliana Cooper, T'Anna Manning, Dr. Christy Flatt. Back, from left, Dr. James Awbrey, Alex Todd, Aaron Deaton, Merissa Cannon, Olivia Gunn, Preston Allen, Amanda Petroff, Amber Colbert, Jessica Childers, Shelley Knight, Anissa Howard.

Twenty Gordon State College students and four faculty members spent spring break in Selma, Alabama participating in an historic event.

The week coincided with the 50th Anniversary of the March from Selma to Montgomery which laid the groundwork for passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

"It was emotional and slightly overwhelming, but overall the week helped me to better understand Civil Rights history," said Merissa Cannon, a Human Services senior.

This was the second such spring break for Gordon State students. Twelve students made the trip last year.

"I went last year and was so impressed that I could not help but be a part of the trip this year," said Raven Willis a junior Human Services major. "Hearing President Obama speak was a highlight of the trip. Despite the horror of what occurred in Selma 50 years ago, his words moved me and made me proud to be a part of the celebration."

During the week the students attended lectures at the Southern Poverty Law Center, at the Equal Justice Initiative, and visited the Tuskegee Airmen Museum. The students also participated with thousands of other marchers in commemoration of the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Most of the students who participated in the service learning trip are majoring in Human Services. A degree in Human Services prepares a student for work in various fields including social work, psychology, human resources and other similar careers.