By Scott Black
The office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement (SLCE) and its subgroup, Sharks and Service (SAS), are taking a trip to focus on the restoration of wildlife in the Everglades for a weekend excursion in Homestead, Florida from Feb. 15-17. During the trip, NSU students will work with the Everglades Outpost wildlife rescue to rehabilitate animals and release them back to the wild, all while learning about the organization and giving back to the community.
Both NSU undergraduate and graduate students are welcome.
Liz Mazorowicz, graduate assistant for civic engagement, hopes to have students that are excited about wildlife and ready to learn a lot and have an amazing weekend.
“We want people to come, bring their best energy and be prepared to meet new people,” she said. “These experiences are designed to pick up a weekend and do something good. These experiences are definitely something you will not regret [because] you will meet a whole new group of friends and be able to share an experience of a lifetime.”
This is the second time SAS has worked with wildlife. Last year, SAS hosted the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Jacksonville. NSU students from the main campus and the Jacksonville campus attended a wildlife weekend retreat, and the retreat was so successful that SAS decided to select a similar wildlife rescue within a short driving distance from NSU.
The cost of the trip is $35 and will cover food and transportation. At the end of each day, NSU will provide a meal and some time for student reflection.
Kacey Crespo, freshman marine biology major and SAS Site Leader for this trip, will be facilitating the entire group and meeting with them at the dinner on Friday at 6 p.m. There, she will debrief and prepare students for the trip on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. She will also help create a memorable schedule and provide fun reflection activities.
“The reflection activities make this trip paramount and entail not what we do but why we do it,” Crespo said. “They are important to get people thinking about more than just themselves and how these issues affect my community, myself, my friends and family members. This experience goes far beyond this service trip, where people can continue to be proactive and continue to change their community in a positive way.”
The registration form can be found at https://orgsync.com/139343/forms/238995. For more information, contact Liz Mazorowicz at em1404@nova.edu or call 954-262-7165.
