Meet Andie Mali

Andie, a senior majoring in English and Economics, took a 10-day trip to Guatemala in May 2018 as part of Monmouth’s Alternative Break Service Program. As his description shows, the experience was life-changing.

We took a five hour bus trip up into the mountain villages and stayed in Chichicastenango. For the next week, we would wake up early in the morning to travel another hour into the mountains to Xepocol—a whopping 7,000 feet above sea level. We were construction workers, building up the walls of a classroom for the 410 kindergarten through sixth graders there to use as a computer lab. We were playmates, entertaining the kids during recess with our funny accents, unique clothes, and exciting games. But most importantly, we were humbled. From the first moment we stepped out of the airport until the last hug and farewell, I know I can speak for the entire group when I say that we were all moved and taken aback by powerful love that we experienced in a place that was worlds away from what we knew as home.

Advisors and students who went on past trips encouraged us to use our journals every day to make sense of all that happened to us during the ten days. I couldn’t bring myself to do it for some reason. But I did decided to write something to tell our group on the bus ride to the airport the day that we left:

We all have a differing mix of emotions towards this trip regarding the things we saw and experienced. But the commonality is that we all did this together. We’ll never know the struggle of the Guatemalan people, but that does not mean that our trip was for nothing. Corey said something to me that is so true: even if we only make an impact on one person in our lifetime, it was still a life well lived. We can’t ever lose sight of that mindset. But I think we need to remember that this trip was more for us than it was for the people that we came to help. All of our eyes were opened to the best and worst life has to offer. That was necessary. And for some of us this mission trip may have opened doors and paths to our purposes in this life… Look inside yourself because I know what each of you are capable of. I’ve seen your potential. Look inside yourself because coming back to the States won’t be easy. But after you do all that self-reflecting, please remember the other beautiful people that you made connections with while on this trip. We are all available for each other. Always remember that.

Service-learning in another country made me realize the true significance of volunteerism. It has to be more than just a “resume-builder” for it to actually mean something to you and someone else. I found my passion and my purpose in Guatemala, and now I want to push on to law school and graduate with a dual MBA and LLM degree in Public Interest/Service Law. I hope to one day be a force for good in my community in the United States and in other countries. I would encourage every college student to immerse themselves in a program where they are direct servants of their fellow man because any chance we get to help others is a step towards a life well lived.