Spring Break in Cleveland

Spring break 2010 finds many college students heading south to relax on a beach. While playing in the sun can be a welcome escape, students not making the trip find charitable and practical ways to spend their spring break in Cleveland.

Concentrating on the Cleveland Community

Nicole Varnerin, a biomedical engineering student at Case Western Reserve University, traveled across town during spring break to live among those who are homeless for five days in the Ohio City neighborhood.

She and three other students participated in Case Western's second Urban Immersion program.

"We were able to experience their community, eating at soup kitchens and drop-in centers as well as serving there," she said.

Varnerin said the experience, her second in two years, has made her acutely aware of the presence of "those who are homeless," a term she prefers to the classification "the homeless."

"We took our vans and supplies right to where they are: under bridges, by the side of the highways, on the streets," she said. "I will never look at a bridge the same way again, knowing people are living in boxes under there."

Jessica Adams, a junior public relations major at the University of Akron, will spend her break at the University of Akron's recreation center working with inner-city kids from sixth grade through age 19.

She works with First Glance, which offers Akron youths a place to hang out and play sports on Thursday and Friday nights.

Sophomore Brigitte Ford came home to the Akron area from her studies at Ashland University. She put her music studies into practice at St. Augustine School in Barberton.

"I got to follow a music teacher around and even teach some classes to first-, third- and sixth-graders," she said.

Ford also helped coach the Highland High School girls rugby team.

Helping in Haiti

Ryan Wells, a University of Akron nursing student, will spend his spring break making up his schoolwork after spending five weeks in Haiti.

Wells was planning to visit the Caribbean nation before the earthquake hit.

"Originally, I was taking a team of 30 people to Haiti, but the building we were going to use was destroyed by the earthquake," Wells said. "Instead, I worked at a boys and girls orphanage, which was converted into a fully functional clinic within 24 hours. It was pretty sweet."

Wells spent last summer living with a family in Haiti, and the University of Akron allowed him to suspend his credits in order to return there.

Kent State University sophomore Maram Manjouna put her political science studies to work over spring break. She planned a talent showcase to raise money for Haiti relief.

"Instead of razzle-dazzling everyone with the decorations, we decorated it like Haiti after the earthquake to show the humanitarian suffering there," she said.

Manjouna also spent her break planning Tipping Point, a weeklong series of cultural diversity awareness events scheduled for the last week in April sponsored by KSU Advocates for Culture and Knowledge.

Focused on Sports and School

Case Western freshman Ramsey Ataya focused on playing sports.

"I practiced my field goal kicking," he said.

He plans to try out for the football team in the fall.

Kyle Mooney, who is finishing up his MBA at Case Western this spring, spent three days of his spring break interning with the Cleveland Indians. He worked on operations and marketing analysis.

Also enjoying spring break in Cleveland was Jenn Holton, a sophomore at John Carroll University.

"I went to the Cleveland Art Museum to work on a class project," she said. "I also spent time on the West Side at Crocker Park and had dinner with a friend in Little Italy."

On the Job

Cleveland State University senior Sloane King, a psychology major, did not mind spending her spring break on the North Coast.

"Working at my job as a server is keeping me around," she said, "but I have a lot of friends here, so the idea of being in Cleveland is appealing."

Amy Grabiec, a CSU sophomore majoring in psychology and occupational therapy, chose to stay in Cleveland so she could work extra hours at the front desk of Fenn Tower. She also went downtown to enjoy the St. Patrick's Day parade.

Senior Michelle Embleton came home to Cleveland for spring break from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She worked at a law firm to make money for a three-week backpacking trip to Europe with her friends after graduation.

"Going to Europe for so long is so expensive, so I needed to make money to put away for my trip," she said, "but I also figure that working would help pass the time and make the week go by a little faster."

(Jennifer Daddario contributed to this story.)