My name's Julie Baraona and I am a junior Physician Assistant major. I am from a suburb 20 minutes south of Cleveland, Ohio called North Royalton. I am looking forward to travel to Merida to spend time with the girls at the Mission of Friendship and learning more about their culture. I am looking forward to spring break!

My name is Conner Wasser Kane and I am one of the students leaders for Merida Spring! I am a sophomore Biology/Pre-Medicine major at Gannon University. I am from Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. On campus, I am involved with the Interfraternity Council, Delta Sigma Phi, Relay for Life club, and am heavily involved with community service. Outside of college I spend a great deal of my time working at a high adventure camp, while exploring around where I am from, including fishing in unique spots, kayaking and hiking. I also hunt whenever I get the time off from work or school. On the Mexico trip, I am extremely excited to be able to help out in whatever way is possible. I believe that I can bring diligence and persistence to the group through great work ethic. I am inspired by the belief that you can always help others no matter how large or small that help may be.

Hello from May Merida!

Greetings from Team May Merida, and welcome to our blog! We are so excited for this upcoming semester, concluded by our trip in May- the road may seem long now, but until then, we have lots to do!  

Throughout the coming months, we shall be coming together frequently as a group for our pre-trip meetings. Our preparations include delving into the four pillars of ABSTs, reflecting on Catholic Social Teaching, learning more about our community partner and their mission, and team bonding. Ultimately, we hope as a group to prepare our hearts and minds to immerse ourselves in the community and culture of our gracious hosts in Merida!  

We are honored that you are here and looking forward to sharing our upcoming journey with you!  

~Team May Merida,  

Alex Stoj, Alexa Harding, Chloe Kernan, Maddy Bruce, Ashley Brawn, Allison Walbridge, Jonathan Cooper, Taylor Keller (participants),  

Damali Donovan, Chris Magno (accompaniers),  

Mary Margaret Brady and Cory Pius (student leaders) 

Hi! My name is Dorian Tamburlin and I am one of the 2 student leaders traveling to Merida this spring. My hometown is St. Marys, PA.  I am a Junior Psychology Major with a focus in Exceptional Children. I am also on the GU Dance Team and a member of Tri Sigma sorority. I am so excited to return to Merida for my second ABST. I chose to travel again because I had a very transformative experience last year and wanted to grow as a leader by returning.

Merida Spring Break 2019, Stay Tuned!

      ¡Hola amigos! As a new semester rolls around, we are excited to travel to Merida, Mexico on March 2nd-9th 2019 with another group of students. We are lucky for the Mission of Friendship to welcome us back for another year of service and immersion into their culture.

This blog was created for families and friends to be with us on our trip to the Yucatan, and for us as travelers to have a place to reminisce on our memories we will be making during the week.

 Before our trip, we want you all to get to know us so stay tuned for introductions of our group members in the next few days! This year, 9 students and 2 accompaniers will be traveling, all who bring different strengths and insights to the table. We are all eager to learn from this experience and hope you all are as well!

Victor's Travels

Hello Everyone!

We have made it back to Gannon safely and we would like to thank you for reading about our journey this past week! We all had an amazing experience and we will cherish the memories made on this trip for years to come. 

While on the trip, we were able to visit numerous places and interact with many wonderful people. Along with us, our mascot (Victor E. Knight) was able to experience Mérida. Here are some highlights of his experience in Mexico:

Loteria, Bailamos, Pola...¡Adios, Mérida!

It’s 10:30 on Friday night and we are finishing the final touches of wrapping up our Mérida experience. Our day was filled with relationship building within the community, which started at the nursing home. We played “Loteria” (bingo) with the residents, and it was a hit. Everyone was happy to help with reading cards and celebrating the winners with prizes. After saying goodbye to our new friends, we traveled to the medical dispensary, another branch of the Mission. It was very insightful to ask questions to Dr. Silvia, who has been an active member of the mission for 30 years. We learned that it is very hard to pay for medications and appointments in Mérida, and the dispensary offers a low cost alternative. We were grateful to return to our girls at the Nueva Vida program, and were welcomed with excitement. From playing tag to braiding hair, everyone was engaged. A very special part of the day was playing games inspired by Jessica’s Club Fit program, to get the girls out of their shell. Two members of the Gannon Dance Team taught the girls a dance, and they did extremely well listening and performing. We said goodbyes to everyone who made this experience possible, again with muchos abrazos. It was sad to say goodbye, but felt amazing to complete such an event filled week. We might have got ice cream for a third time.....it has turned into an obsession.  After dinner we watched a final slideshow of all the pictures made by Tricia. She has done everything and beyond for us this week and we are eternally grateful. Mérida was definitely a week to remember and reflect on for years to come.

Thank you everyone for the prayers and thoughts as we travel home bright and early! We can’t wait to return to our families and friends, to continue sharing  the spirit of Mérida even in the snow.