Hey fellow ABP enthusiasts!

My name is Angalina, and I a super senior at UCF lol. I am biomedical science major with aspirations of attending medical school within the next two years. I initially heard about the alternative breaks program my freshman year of college but never got to attend a trip until last year. I am incredibly passionate about social activism and change and these trips are a great way for us students to get involved. With that being said I'm here to discuss my experience at Lottery night this past Friday :)

After my trip last year I was so excited to sign up for the program again. I completed my form as soon as it became available months ago and have been anticipating Lottery night ever since. When the night finally came I was excited to see that the room was a lot smaller than it was last year which meant that I might have a better chance of getting an international trip. Don't get me wrong, I was very grateful for the trip I attended last year but the room was much larger and much more crowded and the international trips filled up right away. I wasn't sure if Obama being on campus had anything to do with the smaller crowd but either way I was again grateful.

Another large difference that I saw from last year to this year was the requirement to pay a deposit or even full payment for some of the trips. This might have also had something to do with the smaller crowd. I didn't have a problem paying a deposit on the spot personally as I know how rewarding these trips are and as such are well worth the money.

All of the trips this year looked very interesting. All the social issues are very important, but some that resonate the most with me are those that involve environmental or animal rights issues. I guess it is no surprise I chose this Pura Vida trip! I think these issues speak the most to me because there is no way that the Earth nor the animals can communicate their sufferings to us, thus I believe it is our responsibility to advocate for and protect our planet and all the fellow creatures that we share it with.

After looking over all the trips we moved into the lottery room. It was cool to see everyone so excited about volunteering, and the electricity could be felt throughout the room. Soon enough names began to get called. There is always a bitter sweet emotion to this part. Of course you are happy for those who get called early on, but you are also hoping your top trips don't get filled up before you get called. Name after name seemed to get called, untill finally I heard my own! I bolted back with a huge smile and handed in my red ticket for a green one, which I quickly extended forward to Nicole and Danielle to secure my spot. I had gotten my top choice trip and was ecstatic!

As instructed I went to pay my deposit. This was the only part of the night I felt needed some improvement. The line was long and not well organized. There were only two people working the cash boxes, and their was no option to pay online. I believe this process could have been greatly improved if people could have some sort of online payment option available. Furthermore, the event itself started a little late this year. I take the shuttle to school and the very last shuttle leaves at 9 p.m. Last year I also took the shuttle but was able to attend the meeting with my group after Lottery night and still make it out before 9p.m. I'm not sure if Obama being on campus made the event go on a little bit later but it would have been nice if I could have also attended the group meeting afterwards with sufficient time to catch the shuttle.

All in all lottery night was a very enjoyable experience, and I am so looking forward to getting to know everyone on this trip. Nicole and Danielle you seem amazing, and thank you girls for making this trip possible! :)