Senior participates in service immersion trip at Sacred Heart school in Mexico

Part of something bigger 🌎 Over spring break, senior Kadance Robinson participated in a service immersion trip to Mexico through Viviendas Con Corazón, a housing initiative led by Colegio Sagrado Corazón México. Kadance joined over 180 students from Mexico and the U.S. to help build six homes in the town of Ocuituco. Below is her reflection on the experience:

"Viviendas Con Corazón is an initiative that was created 10 years ago by Sagrado Corazón in Mexico City. They paired with the construction company Construyendo to create houses for families in Ocuituco, Mexico. To begin the process, all four Sacred Heart schools in Mexico gathered at Sagrado Corazón in Mexico City, along with 12 Sacred Heart girls from America (for the first time). The school raised enough money to build six houses in Ocuituco, and as a result, the mass group of students (which I hear was around 180) split into six teams to build houses all around Ocuituco in a span of three days. We worked on setting up the walls, putting on the roof, and installing the concrete inside and outside of the house, bringing it to 80% completion.

Our process ended with a ceremony that brought the family inside the house, where we presented them with a Sacred Heart candle and a photo of Mater and prayed over them. Overall, I loved the experience! It was a little nerve-wracking at first, considering I was the only one from Stuart who went, and I didn't know anyone, but I quickly fell in place with everyone there. The whole trip gave me a great opportunity to learn more about Mexican culture, the customs and traditions of Sagrado Corazón in Mexico City, and some of the other Sacred Heart schools around the US!

If I get a chance, I would love to go back! Part of what I found to be very cool about this project was that it's something very different and something I would never have expected being able to do, but it also just so happened to align with what I want to study (architecture). I met so many incredible people, and it really allowed me to branch outside of my comfort zone and become a part of a new community."