Samantha Qyyum

Alternative Breaks (aB) is a program at FIU which allows students to engage in a volunteer project focused on a particular issue. 

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I joined aB in 2014 and with my group members we raised enough funds to go to Seattle on an Environmental Mission. It was a year long commitment where dedication and passion was a major drive to achieve our goal. Our trip to Seattle was a week long. While there, we volunteered with two different organizations-- Seattle Tilth and Earth Corps. Seattle Tilth is a nonprofit organic gardening and urban ecology organization. We helped with the greenhouses, mulching, and created a garden with different plants where I named mine "Orca." We also volunteered with Earth Corps in different parks around Seattle, learning about invasive plants, how to identify them, and the harm they can cause to the environment. With this experience I was not only able to apply what I learned to my own community, but I also gained a mini family.