Throughout history, Western New Mexico University students have spent their free time lending helping hands and exploring the big, wide world.
In keeping with the tradition of volunteering and learning even when class is out, Mustangs spent the recent spring break taking out-of-the-ordinary excursions with
The students involved shared their experiences for this e-newsletter. |
Alternative Spring Break in the Dominican Republic |
Service-Learning Abroad "The most amazing thing I experienced was going to the orphanage and seeing a huge smile in every student. Getting to know them really touched me, and being able to share a few moments with them was priceless!" At left: Western New Mexico University student Clarissa Lowry plays pat-a-cake with a student at the Fundacion Pasitos de Jesus orphanage for girls. |
ella habla español |
[ S E R V I C E L E A R N I N G ] |
next-level alternative spring break |
Wednesday, April 11. 6 p.m. Miller Library. Be there. "This trip made me want to be more adventurous." |
Invertebrate Zoology in San Carlos, Mexico Photo by Western New Mexico University invertebrate zoology student Raven Myers. |
Camping on the Beach for Biology 310, 312 Since 2008, those enrolled in Dr. Manda Clair Jost's Invertebrate Zoology class have spent spring break camping on a remote beach of the Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortez) between mainland Mexico and Baja. The wilderness beaches they explore are several miles north of San Carlos but difficult to get to and usually completely deserted. On this field trip, Invertebrate Zoology students witnessed the diversity of coastal marine invertebrates by exploring tide pools and snorkeling in the cold spring seawater. |
"The coolest experience I had during this trip was swimming in the clear ocean. After getting over my fear of drowning, I put on my snorkel mask and saw amazing things. I saw fish swimming and corals moving. I saw rocks and fish that look like rocks. I saw puffer fish and stingrays. I felt part of the ocean and it was awesome!" |
Photo by Western New Mexico University invertebrate zoology student Raven Myers. |
Name: Marcus Bohlin |
"On the last day of our camping trip, I went down to the sea to wash my plate. When I swished it around, the water glowed bright blue. I told everyone to come over and see this incredible phenomenon. Everyone was running in the water and splashing, making it glow even brighter." |
Other Field Experiences with Natural Sciences |
Invertebrate Biology professor Dr. Manda Clair Jost created this video during a class field trip to San Carlos, Mexico. You could skip ahead to the two-minute mark for footage of students conducting research, but why? The scenery leading up to that point is worth taking in, especially on the day before a holiday weekend. |
Mustang Search and Rescue Photo courtesy of Mustang Search and Rescue. |
About Mustang SAR The Mustang Search and Rescue (SAR) team was certified as an official resource by New Mexico State Police Search and Rescue in January 2017, so team members are eligible to participate in search and rescue missions run under the jurisdiction of New Mexico State Police. On missions, Mustang SAR team members will work with other state SAR teams to search for and rescue lost or injured subjects from the Gila back country. |
The Rabbit |
Spring Break With Mustang SAR: K9 Training On the first Saturday of spring break, a group of students in hiking gear and waterproof jackets met at the Continental Divide trailhead off Little Walnut Road. Sarah Crothers, co-captain of Mustang SAR, gathered everyone around and introduced the day's training exercise, one focused on K9s. Of the six full members on Mustang SAR, two have dogs that are in differing stages of training. Both showed up on this rainy day. |
[ T R A I N I N G H I K E S ] |