Alternative Breaks at UCLA is a program within the Community Service Commission (CSC) which sends small groups of UCLA undergraduate students to communities within the United States to engage in meaningful service during their academic year breaks.

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Community Service

October 2022 - June 2024

During my sophomore year, I joined a volunteering-focused organization at UCLA called Alternative Breaks (AB). With AB, I got to visit Seattle and Boston to learn about sustainable food and farming practices while engaging directly with the communities through volunteering.

My first trip was to Seattle, where our topic of focus was Sustainable Farming and Food Systems. On this trip, we interacted with urban farms through helping plant different fruits and vegetables. We also learned about different farming practices that could be used in an urban setting like Seattle.

Planting berry bushes at an urban farm in Seattle

Working hard or hardly working?

We also visited the Washington State University Bread lab, where we learned about the different varieties of grains like rye and buckwheat. We even go to make pizza out of grains other than wheat!

Learning about different grains and making pizza with different types of bread at WSU Bread Lab

After every site, our group would have an in-depth reflection on the organization we had just visited. We talked what we thought was interesting, we would could incorporate into our own lives, and how the newly found knowledge could influence us in our future lifestyles. I loved this part of AB because we did more than just volunteering, but learned and grew from our experiences.

On my second trip, I went to Boston, where our site topic was The Effects of Climate Change on Farming and Fishing. On this trip, we visited Cape Cod to talk with oyster farmers, who planted oysters in the bays to filter the water. Oysters are natural filters as they remove algae and other chemicals like nitrogen from the polluted water!

A crab I found in Cape Cod

Planting oysters to filter the bay

We also visited urban farms like in Seattle, where we helped seed plants for their future harvest. At one of the farms, I learned about a vertical farming system, where plants could grow on columns to save space! 🤯

Planting different vegetables for an urban farm in Boston

We also visited an animal sanctuary, where animal activists had rescued farm animals and were caring for them. We learned about the importance of treating animals with respect and upholding a vegan diet.

Visiting an animal sanctuary in Boston

In engineering, I’ve come to know that learning by doing is the best method, but I also realized that this applies elsewhere in my life, such as the things I learned through AB. This organizations has allowed me become a better member of my communities and helped me growth as a citizen of our planet.

©2024 Aaron Li