Keeping An Open Heart

Immersion trips remind Elisa Hoffman ’25 of the importance of being human – and of remembering that everyone else is human as well. What’s more, these excursions illustrate that “we truly are one community, just spread across seven continents and a few hundred countries.” The physics major from Buffalo, N.Y., recently returned from a weeklong trip to the Dominican Republic. She was part of a team of students who traveled to the Caribbean nation in order to immerse themselves in its history and culture. They visited a local school, attended church services, and spent two days at an ecolodge in the mountains near Rio Blanco, where they learned about the history of campesinos, or farmers. The undergraduates also enjoyed lighter moments during their time away, celebrating Three Kings Day and teaching a group of children the lyrics to Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Meredith Lovenduski ’26 credited the trip with “opening [her] eyes to a completely new part of the world.” Hoffman echoed those sentiments, saying: “I hope to always remember this and keep my mind and heart open to others and their stories.”