Kamilah Lige

Over my spring break, I had the privilege to participate in my first Howard University Alternative Spring Break in Detroit, Michigan! Through the initiatives of youth empowerment and constructing routes for achieving food stability, I volunteered alongside 90 Howard University students to serve the city of Detroit.

This week gave me a fresh outlook on life in addition to having a big influence on Detroit. We worked in small groups across the city! My group assisted Stevenson Elementary School and we emphasized to the scholars the importance of college, particularly HBCUs. My experience of reading Kyle McMurtry's Henry's Going To An HBCU to the kindergarten classrooms deeply touched my heart. Discussing the importance of attending college, how to pay for college, and answering the fifth grader's questions on life allowed me to reflect on how I did not have this opportunity at their age. I witnessed the motivating power of a single conversation with someone older.

We collaborated with other neighborhood groups that helped the Detroit region, such as the Durfee Innovation Society, Triumph Church, Repair the World Detroit, Life Remodeled, and Henry Ford. During the Repair the World Detriot events, we cleaned up the garden and helped to make hundreds of seed bags. By cleaning up the garden, we removed debris, and invasive species, and restored the natural habitat. This action supported the health of the local ecosystem. We did this to promote biodiversity and create a more suitable environment for various organisms, including plants, insects, and small animals. Creating hundreds of seed bags required collecting, sorting, and packaging seeds. This directly engages with plant biology by exploring plant life cycles, seed dispersal, and the conditions vital for germination. This activity aided in the spread of native plant species, a critical factor in preserving local biodiversity.

I will always cherish the friendships I have formed this week, and this journey has made me more aware of the blessings in my life.