Site Leaders
Zenas Singh
I am a 4th year at UCSD majoring in Physiology and Neuroscience.
My favorite food is chocolate o.o I like to play guitar (acoustic or electric) and my inspirations include Tosin Abasi and Jackie Vincent. My favorite animals are T-rex’s (cause of their tiny arms), wolves, falcons, and unicorns (cause they are just so fabulous :3).
I was on Alternative Breaks last year as a participant, and went to Costa Rica with my group to work with underprivileged children at a daycare. Everyday we worked with kids as they learned basic math english and played soccer. Most of these kids came from harsh realities and us being there gave them a place where they could just escape reality and be themselves. Those kids taught me even the smallest actions we make can create lasting impacts on the future and I hope to bring this same experience to my participants on our trip to Damar.
Joie Fan
I am a 3rd year studying General Biology from San Marino, CA.
Fun fact: I’ll go anywhere with you if you buy me boba!
I was a participant on AB Guatemala Peace’14 for youth education and classroom building. AB has given me the opportunity to learn about and be aware of social justice issues and to ultimately take action and make a difference, no matter how small it may seem. My goal for this trip is to gain a better understanding of people with disabilities so that I may be able to break through the stigma that surrounds the issue of disabilities and spread awareness.
Participants
Alma Montenegro
I am a fourth year at UCSD. I am a political science major with a double minor in education studies and international studies.
I love puppies!! I also really like coffee and traveling. When I was in the first grade I genuinely believed that little versions of me controlled and lived in my brain.
AB Damar is an opportunity for me to challenge myself and to step out of my comfort zone. I hope to become more knowledgeable about the issues facing people with disabilities and to be able to spread this knowledge to others.
Diode Farin de Dios
I went to UC Santa Cruz (GO SLUGS!) before transferring to the best school in the world: UC San Diego, there I dramatically changed what I studied at Santa Cruz from Health Science and Latin American Latino Studies to Biology, public health, and music.
I currently work as an AmeriCorp VISTA with a nonprofit called Nile Sisters Development Initiative. My dedication to being a social justice warrior is directly due to my participation in Alternative breaks as a participant, site leader, and then as a coordinator of the program. Alternative Breaks has given me the language, tools, and resources in order for me to be the best active citizen i can be -- by putting the community as a priority in my life.
Kelly Huang
I am currently a 4th year and my major is Human Development.
I absolutely love trying different cuisine and learning about different cultures.
Alternative Breaks has allowed me to meet so many individuals with the passion to make a difference locally and globally. I had my eyes set on AB Damar because I genuinely want to learn more about our social justice issue. I hope to become a voice for those with disabilities during and after our learning service trip.
Kat Tehaney
I am a fifth year Bioengineering major with a minor in Chemistry.
I LOVE bagels and my favorite animals are giraffes. I rowed for UCSD for my first four years of college and now I am excited to be involved with a service organization!
I am excited to go on this trip because this social injustice issue means a lot to me. I am passionate about kids and I have worked with children with disabilities in the past. I hope to be able to learn even more from Damar and be able to bring that knowledge back to the San Diego community.
Niveditha Narasimhan
I’m a third year at UCSD studying Human Biology hoping to find my place in the healthcare industry once I graduate. I tell people that I’m from Singapore but I call two countries home – India and Singapore.
I love to sing and play a couple instruments. I enjoy watching movies, and trying out all types of food, which I always do especially when I travel with my family. My dream (fantasy) career would be to be a doctor but also a professional singer at the same time and go on tour.
I joined AB because I’ve been searching for a place where I can be myself in a group with such great diversity, but also for a way to volunteer involving training, and with others to help and guide you. Deep set in my values is the act of helping others and doing some good in your community. I have volunteered before and know that anything you do, whether it’s a small act or a big act, will make a difference to somebody, and that fuels my desire to volunteer. I would also carry this with me after I graduate, so that I will have the knowledge and experience from AB that I can take with me wherever I may end up. It’s only fair that I give and care because I understand and appreciate how much I receive and have.
I’m a third year at UCSD studying Human Biology hoping to find my place in the healthcare industry once I graduate. I tell people that I’m from Singapore but I call two countries home – India and Singapore.
I love to sing and play a couple instruments. I enjoy watching movies, and trying out all types of food, which I always do especially when I travel with my family. My dream (fantasy) career would be to be a doctor but also a professional singer at the same time and go on tour.
I joined AB because I’ve been searching for a place where I can be myself in a group with such great diversity, but also for a way to volunteer involving training, and with others to help and guide you. Deep set in my values is the act of helping others and doing some good in your community. I have volunteered before and know that anything you do, whether it’s a small act or a big act, will make a difference to somebody, and that fuels my desire to volunteer. I would also carry this with me after I graduate, so that I will have the knowledge and experience from AB that I can take with me wherever I may end up. It’s only fair that I give and care because I understand and appreciate how much I receive and have.
Deborah Lan
I am a 2nd Year Cognitive Science major with specialization in human-computer interaction
My favorite food would have to be anything sweet because I absolutely love desserts! I love cats but am unfortunately allergic to them D: Fun fact! My last name means the color blue! And I love potatoes.
On this AB trip, I want to bond with my AB group! I chose this trip because I want to learn how to communicate with others better, with people on the trip with me and with people we are going to work with. I look forward to the experiences we will gain and the memories we will share!
Sunny Jiang
I am a fourth year Econ and Math major.
I like almost all kinds of Asian food and I listen to kpop a lot.
AB to me is an unforgettable experience to step out of my comfort zone and learn about what it means to be an active citizen. This is my second year in AB as a participant and I am so honored that I am going to go on a service trip to help children and adults with disabilities. I hope I can learn more about the social justice issue and make people more aware.
Connie Ruan
I am a current senior at UCSD. I am majoring in International Studies with a minor in Business.
I love to read a lot, so much so that I re read the Harry Potter series every summer.
Through my service trip I hope to learn about the difficulties facing people with disabilities in everyday society and how I as an individual can contribute to changing those obstacles.
Daniel Kang
I am a fourth year Management Science student at UCSD.
My favorite food has to be a burrito at Vallarta Express. Super breakfast burrito at Vallarta Express completes my life. My favorite animal is a dog, because dogs love us and that makes me happy.
Alternative Breaks is an organization that keeps me conscious and informed of the issues that I would normally neglect if I were on my own. Surrounding myself with the conscious Active Citizens pushes me to strive to be like them. I really wanted to get an experience working with people in this Alternative Breaks trip, and so this trip was perfect for me.