Justin Pruitt performing community service over winter break

2014 Dec 16

Justin Pruitt of Parker is one of 14 students going to Xela, Guatemala over Cornell College's winter break to perform community service.

The trip, sponsored by the college's Career and Civic Engagement Center and led by students, marks the first time students are participating in an international service trip over winter break.

The students on the trip are going to work at an orphanage and take part in other projects identified by community members. The student-led group has been working closely with Juan Sisay, a Spanish School in Xela.

According to statistics from Breakaway, a national organization that sponsors service trips for college students, only 15 percent of service trips went to an international destination, and 15 percent took place over winter break, as well.

Cornell College's Career and Civic Engagement Center is also sponsoring Alternative Spring Break trips this year for the 11th time. More than 130 students are signed up to participate in those service trips, which will run March 5 through 15.

One of the 40 "Colleges That Change Lives," Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, is a national liberal arts college with a distinctive One Course At A Time curriculum. The One Course schedule provides students the chance to dive into their studies, focus more intensely on the disciplines of their choice, and learn authentically with the unique freedom to shed the confines of the traditional classroom to study off-campus, pursue research, or accept an internship--all without missing out on other classes.

Cornell has been recognized by numerous publications for the value its education offers and for academic excellence. This year it was named of the 100 best values in liberal arts education by Kiplinger's, one of the "Best Value Schools" among national liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report, and one of the 100 Affordable Elite Colleges by Washington Monthly. Ninety-three percent of Cornell graduates earn their degrees in four years. In 2013 Cornell was named one of the 25 colleges with the best professors by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity.

For more information, visit www.cornellcollege.edu.