Honors Alternative Spring Break 20 - Nogales

Why HASB Nogales?

We believe in practicing empathy through first-hand experiences and immigration is a human experience. The immigration process involves the lives of Border Patrol agents afraid of what the day’s shift will bring. It involves uncertainty that rattles whole generations of families. It involves United State citizens feeling afraid of who’s entering their neighborhoods. What better way to create an opinion on the immigration debate than to visit it in person?

Interacting with agents, immigrant families, and citizens alike will create a unique, hands-on awareness of a topic that is at the center of North American politics.

Your donation will help an Honors student be able to participate in a unique experience that will make an impact in their academic and personal career. 

                                                                      Check Your Privilege… Now Check It Again: A Kino Border Initiative Reflection, photo by Peg Hunter

What is HASB?

Honors Alternative Spring Break (HASB) is a program run by the Honors College at the University of Arizona. HASB gives eight Honors students the opportunity to travel to new communities outside of Tucson to accomplish service goals and develop intimate knowledge of the problems afflicting said communities. After a week of service-learning and civic engagement, students will be aware of new service-based ways to lead lives as responsible citizens.

   Kino Border Initiative, a border non-profit, offers educational presentations! (https://www.kinoborderinitiative.org/learn/)

Taking place during Spring Break 2020, HASB is going to Nogales, Arizona!

We will work with organizations who are involved in the immigration conversation. Volunteering with a variety of nonprofits will allow us to experience firsthand how the immigration system impacts the lives of people living on both sides of the border. Doing so will lead to conclusion-making works so that they can come to their own conclusions about the issue. It is important to formulate a unique opinion on the immigration process as it is a vital aspect of our national identity.

Organizations working with HASB include:

Kino Border Initiative ( www.kinoborderinitiative.org )

No More Deaths ( nomoredeaths.org ), and 

Casa Alitas (https://www.ccs-soaz.org/). 

HASB Nogales is. . . 

HASB is a remarkable experience that leaves each trip participant with unique memories and lessons they can apply in their everyday lives. Many HASB alumni have described their trips as rewarding, eye-opening and life-altering. Students who participated commonly re-apply for HASB trips the following year as trip leaders, so that they may help facilitate the same amazing opportunity for other students.

Please consider supporting our trip and being a part of the HASB legacy!

Meet the Participants!

Dakota Dollister

Fun Fact: I wrote a novella in a month for an english project. On an entirely different note, I can live on very little sleep for about a month before crashing.

Hi, my names Dakota and I am a freshman majoring in psychology B.S. and minoring in Spanish. I am looking forward to my spring break in Nogales for a multitude of reasons but with a high emphasis on gaining as many experiences that I can in order to learn from them. Becoming more knowledgeable on a subject is one of the first steps to being an advocate and I would love to use this trip as a way to be knowledgeable enough on the immigration process and experience to be a strong advocate for the subject.

Alyssa Ruiz 

Fun Fact: I love monster trucks and have even gotten to ride in one!

I am a freshman majoring in Criminal Justice Studies and Law. With this I hope to become a Criminal Defense Attorney. I have always wanted to work in the realm of law enforcement.I am really looking forward to the HASB trip to Nogales. Growing up in Arizona, I have heard many stories about the issues with immigration and of people trying to cross the border. I hope to learn a lot about the immigration process on the legal side as well as speaking to people with first hand experiences. Hopefully these encounters will teach me a lot about these issues and become more sensitive to them and the people they involve.

Maddie Everson 

Fun Fact: I am left-handed but play sports right-handed

I am a Freshman studying Biology on the Pre-Med track with the goal of becoming a pediatrician. On the HASB trip to Nogales I am most looking forward to learning more about immigration and how it can affect people’s lives. I am also looking forward to gaining new perspectives about these communities by witnessing and interacting with people to hear their story.

Zoey Plytas 

I am a Freshman double majoring in English and Creative Writing. I would love to find a career that combines poetry and social activism. I am going to Nogales to educate myself about immigration and the border situation so that I am better prepared to help educate others. I believe this trip will deepen my empathy and empower me to encourage others to nurture their own. I’m looking forward to talking to non-profits to learn about how I can engage with them to mobilize my new knowledge.

Jocelyn Garcia

Fun Fact: I am a sister of the first and largest Latina sorority, Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Incorporated!

I am a sophomore pursuing a B.A. in Political Science with Honors and minors in Mexican American Studies and Special Education & Rehabilitation. My career goal is to become a civil rights lawyer. I chose to spend my Spring Break in Nogales because I want to work with communities to learn from them how to best pursue resolutions for their progress and success.

Ana Rosas

Fun Fact: My dream job is to be a cardiologist.

I am currently a Junior with a Biochemistry major and a minor in Math. I signed up for the HASB Nogales because it seemed very interesting, and a learning experience. I mainly chose to spend my Spring Break in Nogales because I want to learn more about the immigration system, and I want to be able to understand and see what immigrants go through. This trip will give me the chance to get to see both perspectives of the issue of immigration. It will also be a chance for me to connect with immigrants since I also migrated from Mexico about 13 years ago.

Chloë Paterson

Fun Fact: I have been cage diving with great white sharks!

I'm a Junior pursuing a B.S. in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science. I am passionate about serving my community and am participating in HASB Nogales because I want to engage in a meaningful experience over my Spring Break. I’m most looking forward to learning more about the immigration process and international relations between the US and Mexico.

Alex Simpson

Fun Fact: I'm a dual citizen of the US and UK.

I'm a Freshman BFA Acting major and hopeful double major in Music Composition, with a very strong interest in becoming a writer of theatre, film, music, and any combination of those. Growing up in Virginia, I had very little direct contact with immigration issues but was surrounded by people from all over the world, and through HASB I hope to understand the issue on the ground and its true impact on the people whose lives are embroiled in it.

Thank you!

HASB Nogales 2020