headlights immersion trip
Headlights Immersion Program
Welcome to a look at Campus Ministry's Headlights Immersion Program. Headlights is a program that brings Carroll students together for alternative fall and spring break trips. Through the Headlights program students have the opportunity to spend their breaks serving others and learning about issues of poverty, injustice, and human development that will affect them as they leave Carroll and continue to make a difference in the lives of others. Students have traveled to Rochester, NY; Browning, MT; Ashland, MT; South Bend, IN; Jacksonville, FL; Denver, CO; and Missoula, MT. Trips are planned for the coming year to the Catholic Diocese of Helena's Mission in Guatemala and to Los Angeles, CA.
2007 Headlights Immersion Trip Reflections
The 2007 headlights trip to Rochester was an amazing, eye-opening experience. We were brought to a community of people who focus on each other and constantly volunteer their time. I loved being immersed in such a diverse place. Although many people we encountered had next to nothing, their hearts were still so full of love. All they needed was to have people that cared around them. I was blown away by the amount of heart and labor these people showed. The 13 other students I went with are some of the most amazing people, and I was blessed to get to know them all. From watching how they interacted with kids to how they found laughter in everything, I can tell that whatever they end up doing in life it will change people's lives.
Jenna Kesler - Sophomore
My spring break was spent in Rochester, New York with 13 other students from Carroll. We stayed with five Sisters of St. Joseph's. I spent most of my week serving at St. Joseph's Neighborhood Center. St. Joe's Neighborhood Center was a medical clinic established by the Sister's of St. Joseph's for very low income people as well as the homeless. For their services, St. Joseph's only asks for a five dollar donation, if possible, from its patients. One other Carroll student and I spent our time basically reorganizing the clinic from top to bottom. Along with that, we answered the phones, scheduled appointments, as well as checked their records for errors. Also, we worked in a soup kitchen which was a lot of fun to help out with. The whole group spent one day at the Bethany House where we helped organize and clean the house which also allowed us to take time and listen to some of the success stories of some women who used to live there and now come back as volunteers. Rochester was an amazing city which portrayed a great sense of community, carrying, and hope. We all learned a great deal and returned to Montana with a new view of the world.
Andrew Wood - Freshman
The Rochester trip was a change from the unproductive spring breaks that usually roll around every March. Leaving my comfort zone was a learning experience in itself, but the group that I went to Rochester with, as well as the people at our sites, made New York absolutely amazing.
At the beginning of the trip I made the mistake of only looking for the hardships that people at our sites had to deal with, I know that it is important to take note of what is going on in poverty stricken areas, but I realized that it is just as important to see people as people and not as policies, otherwise the human element gets lost. I learned more about myself and Catholic social teaching than I could have ever hoped, it was well worth it.
John Morrison - Sophomore
As a participant on the spring Headlights Trip 2007 to Rochester, New York, I was able to experience diversity and friendship, as well as being able to visit different places such as Niagara Falls. This trip made possible so many new experiences that I would not have been able to experience anywhere else. Being able to spend a week in a school where I was one of the few Caucasian people dispersed throughout mostly African Americans taught me a lot about another culture and how to respect other cultures. I also was able to learn new phrases that aren't usually said here in Montana such as "You wack" or "that nasty". I met such amazing people on this trip, not only from New York but also from our own Carroll College Community. I couldn't have thought of a better way to spend my Spring Break this year. It was absolutely amazing!
Grace Steele - Sophomore
The spring break HEADLIGHTS trip to Rochester, NY was a life changing experience for me. I had the opportunity to work in a third grade classroom with some of the most amazing children, and their amazing teacher. Seeing the smiles on the faces of every child I came in contact with made this trip worth while. As a group, we went to the Bethany House, and were able to sit and talk to some women who are working to make a change in their lives for themselves and for their children. Their stories were truly inspiring and we were so thankful that they were able to share them with us. On this trip I learned a lot about myself both spiritually, physically, and emotionally. I was able to grow in community and faith with my fellow classmates from here at Carroll.
Daniele Nelson - Sophomore
When I first decided to go on the Headlights trip it was for selfish reasons: I wanted a way to be closer to God by serving his people. However, I was disappointed the first couple days because I found myself focusing more on how the ministry was affecting me rather than on the ministry itself and the people I was serving. By the end of the week I was finding more satisfaction than I previously had. I also had been disappointed because the ministry I chose was to work in a school as an aid, which is not what one might think of when the words "ministry" or "service" come to mind. Being involved in four different types of ministry (school, thrift store, soup kitchen, and Catholic worker house) showed me that "service" and "ministry" mean more to serve God in the work he has planned rather than planning my own "ministry" under my own agenda. Going on the Headlights trip to Rochester, New York was a fun and rewarding experience that I would gladly do again if I had the chance and I encourage all to take part in volunteer work to reap the benefits of serving God's people.
Kali Kreusel - Junior
The trip to Rochester was an experience like no other I have ever had. This trip opened my eyes to so many things. It made me take a deeper look at how I am living my life and the things I take for granted that are provided for me daily. This trip made all fourteen of us grow, learn, and experience Rochester and the Sisters of Saint Joseph. This trip taught me a lot about how much each one of us can help and change things in this world. I am truly blessed to have had this experience; it is something I take with me daily.
Renee Malley - Sophomore
This past spring break, I spent my vacation on the Headlights trip to Rochester, New York. We stayed with five Sisters of St. Joseph. I was assigned to Day Star which is a day care for disabled kids. Most of the kids were born premature and the day care accepted the kids until they turned three. It was amazing to see how these kids interacted and learned from each other. One of the kids was blind and since she couldn't see, she would only go to people by the sound of their voices. At first she wouldn't come to me but as the week went by she learned my voice and knew she could trust me. This is just one example that could be scene through all the kids. Rochester was a great experience and we all came home with a sense of accomplishment.
Tiara Sewell - Junior
Headlights is Catholicism in practice. Christ's teachings extended much further than the Golden Rule and the Beattitutes. Catholic social teaching is a way for Catholics to put their money where their mouths are, get their hands dirty and help some people.
I've been on three Headlights trips, each more rewarding than the last. Not being a Catholic, I thought that I wouldn't be able to share this experience with the rest of my group, but helping others goes beyond religion. Even though I'm not Catholic, I feel like the Catholic social teaching perfectly reflects how I feel about poverty and the distribution of wealth in the United States.
And Headlights is fun. I've made some of my best friends on Headlights trips. Living with twelve other people in a community for a week is physically and mentally taxing, but to step outside our comfort zones and learn to love people is an important lesson for everybody.
I think everyone should do a trip like this before they enter the "real world," because we're the people at the top of the ladder that get to decide how everyone else lives. As educated people, we have a responsibility to the less fortunate in our culture, and Headlights cultivates an attitude of service towards those people.
Drew Riley - Junior
Spring Break in Rochester. Always a conversation starter with New Yorkers who wonder why it is that a group of Montana College students would travel to Western New York during the winter to spend a week ff from school. This break was the second time I had been to Rochester on a Headlights trip (I had gone it 2005), and I was excited to go back. It was amazing to be back with the Sisters, I have come to view them as aunts of sorts, who are always a blast to visit and spend time with. This trip I was placed at Holy Family School with John and Jenna. Holy Family was a very different place than I have been before; upon my arrival they found a way to put me right into the mix with students, reading, talking, eating , and playing. I had the opportunity to spend time with a class of first graders as well as a extremely energetic bunch of preschoolers (wow). It's hard describe how cool it was for me to be able talk spend kids who had no qualms about coming right up and engaging me in conversations and activities without even knowing me. They love unconditionally, and it was such an amazing thing to feel that and be a part of it. We had such a great group. I learned a lot from everyone and had a great time hearing how other people observed in their respective work throughout the week. Rochester has an amazing community of people who put their faith into action and to be there with them has taught me a lot about the value of us taking care of one another as people.
Kevin Jam - Junior
Other Quotes
Ask students about the impact of Headlights, and the way their lives and the lives of their fellow students that have been transformed by direct interaction with persons in need. In serving the poor you will come to see the face of Christ more clearly as he moves among the poor and lowly in our community. Bishop George L. Thomas
If you want peace work for justice. Pope Paul VI
If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. Mother Teresa