Service trips reflect Centre commitment to community engagement
While students at Centre College have logged thousands of hours helping improve the surrounding community, the commitment to service extends far beyond local borders.
Earlier this spring, two groups of students, faculty, and staff traded spring break trips home or to the beach to travel to North Carolina and West Virginia to offer crucial assistance to residents there.
“This work is a natural extension of what we do at Centre. It's about putting our values into action beyond campus,” said Assistant Professor of Politics Weiss Mehrabi, who led the trip to Canton, North Carolina along with Volunteer Service Coordinator Elida Rodriguez ‘25.
The group partnered with the United Methodist Committee on Relief to help restore a home ravaged by flooding caused by Hurricane Helene in late 2024. During orientation, the volunteers learned about the broader context of disaster response and community rebuilding before beginning site work, clearing out the entire house, including the attic, and sorting out salvageable items from trash.
“I teach how institutions and communities respond to crises, but there is a real difference between abstract discussion and standing in a home ravaged by a disaster,” Mehrabi said. “Seeing the extent of poverty and destruction in these communities and realizing how much help is still needed months after the hurricane was sobering.”
By the end of the project, the home had been cleared to a state that allows for future rebuilding, advancing long-term recovery efforts in the Asheville region.
“Students saw firsthand what disaster recovery looks like, and being part of Canton’s rebuilding effort made it especially meaningful,” Mehrabi said. “That experience gave them a lasting perspective on resilience and community.”
Participating students included Adelyn Shupert, Zoey Shahid-Scott, Peter Jefferson, Kevin Bourget, Kellaiah Laurent, Niah Edelen, Esther Agbedun, and Manoel Tavares Vasconcelos.
“This experience left everyone with an increased awareness of disaster recovery and housing insecurity due to natural disasters,” Rodriguez said, “as well as a desire to continue service-oriented work in the future.”
Meanwhile, students participating in the Bonner Scholars Program, which offers staff and student mentorship to scholarship recipients who have demonstrated a passion for serving their communities, ventured to West Virginia.
First-year Bonner students traveled to Caretta in McDowell County, West Virginia, to work with Big Creek People In Action (BCPIA), a program partner for over 20 years.
This year, students leaped into action in a variety of ways, helping both local residents and the organization itself. During the week-long trip, students replaced vinyl siding on a creek-side home, helped BCPIA set up for their spring festival and assisted with their after-school program.
“Caretta is an unforgettable experience for Bonner students,” said Nathan Whitlock ‘22, Assistant Director of Civic & Community Engagement and the Bonner Program at Centre. “We've sustained a partnership with Big Creek People In Action for decades, so returning every year at this point feels like coming home.”
In addition to re-siding a home, Bonners enjoyed late-night bonfires, an evening of Appalachian folk music, and a visit to Berwind Lake where Bonners learned how community members, scholars, and environmental organizations organized to prevent the lake from being drained and filled with coal slurry.
Participating students included Jack Ezell, Hannah Phelps, Zyer Hamilton, Cami Holbrook, Daniela Ambriz, Kelly Bryant, Enrique Salcedo Cachu, Bryce Bates, Henry Dickerson, Ashly Arreguin, Anna Riggsby, Addyson Taheny, Abby Donis.
“Bonners past and present often point to Caretta as the highlight of their four-year journey,” Whitlock said. “It’s a time when their cohort grew closer, and a place of great inspiration for a program like ours because of this deep commitment to community and social justice.”
