While some students went south to sandy beaches and others went home to relax, about 60 Quinnipiac students spent their spring break doing community service.

The school sponsored five different trips to various locations both inside and outside the United States.

Sara Leidner, a junior at Quinnipiac, headed to South Carolina to build a house with Habitat for Humanity.

Sara had no hesitation signing up for the trip since she went on a service trip last spring break.

“It was an amazing experience last year and I like being able to help someone else who is less fortunate, in my opinion it is a productive way to spend spring break,” Leidner said.

But what did they actually do in South Carolina?

“We did a lot of laborious work, it’s a lot harder than people think,” Leidner responded. “Villanova had been there the week before and put up the frame of the house leaving us to finish the roof.”

The diligent volunteers worked from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. They worked on finishing the roof, putting up tar paper and shingles.

After they finished the roof, they built a shack in the back yard from scratch.

“We received a lot of generosity in South Carolina,” Leidner said. “We stayed at a church, showered at the YMCA, and a lot of our meals were donated from local churches.”

Leidner knew some people before leaving for the trip since a lot of the students going were already apart of the Habitat for Humanity Quinnipiac chapter.

“It’s not about putting this on a resume, it’s a way to give back to the community and makes me feel good by helping others and really makes me appreciate my life.”

Leidner proves that you can help people and have fun at the same time, which was made even clearer to her on this past venture.

Come hear the stories and see the pictures from the South Carolina trip on Wednesday, March 31 at 4:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall.

Representatives from the other service trips that went to Washington D.C., New Orleans, Nicaragua and Barbados will also be present at this event to share their experiences with all members of the Quinnipiac community.