This post was updated Aug. 4 at 10:27 p.m.

Spring break offers students a much-needed respite, providing the freedom to pursue personal interests – whether it’s picking up a new hobby, traveling to new destinations or simply enjoying some well-deserved rest.

This year, four UCLA students were given an opportunity to learn about and provide assistance to a disadvantaged community during spring break.

Emme Rackham, a Latin American studies graduate student who served as a site leader for the Alternative Breaks trip to Oakland, California this past spring, said Alternative Breaks is a nationwide program that provides students with opportunities to gain first-hand experience with underserved communities.

The program searches for students who are interested in service and have the time and emotional capacity to dedicate themselves to service organizations, Rackham said. She added that the program is fully student-led, often with students returning as site leaders to organize and plan trips.

Rackham said the program’s UCLA branch is also a part of the Undergraduate Students Association Council’s Community Service Commission. She added the program aims to facilitate education, service and reflection through sending students on service trips during spring break.

“We’re leading with curiosity and that we’re engaging with people in such a way where we can bring the expertise and experience that they have back into our own lives, to enrich our own lives,” she said.

Four students went to Oakland in April after submitting an application to participate in Alternative Breaks, Rackham said. This year’s trip focus was on incarceration, reimagining the criminal justice system and public safety while learning about alternatives to prisons and punitive justice systems, she added.

Gabriela Hernandez, a rising fourth-year American literature and culture student who participated in the trip, said the trip involved legislative training at the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, sending a newsletter to incarcerated people and researching the constitutional rights of prisoners with children.

Hernandez added that she and other participants also visited the California Coalition for Women Prisoners where they attended a webinar that discussed how women commonly experience sexual abuse in prison. The trip left a lasting impact as it helped the participants open up about their loved ones’ experiences in the carceral system, she said.

Hernandez said the trip also involved eating lunch with members from the California Coalition for Women Prisoners and discussing the prevalence of sexual abuse against incarcerated women.

“They were really open to us asking questions – even the people that have been formerly incarcerated were like, ‘Ask me questions. I’m not going to be offended. I want you guys to help,’” Hernandez said.

Hernandez also said the trip informed her about issues within the justice system regarding prison reform through connections with formerly incarcerated people. She said the emotional weight of hearing their experiences inspired her to dedicate more time to this cause.

“It motivated me to become a part of it at some point in my career, in my life, to dedicate some time to helping incarcerated people or previously incarcerated people with reentry,” she said.

Kayla Sasser, an alumnus who participated in Alternative Breaks, said a FaceTime call with a currently incarcerated individual serving a sentence on life without parole revealed to her the growth and development he made to change from the person he was before. She said many incarcerated people cannot apply for parole as a result of their sentence.

“I’ve seen effects on my family and people that I’ve loved – friends, family – but I didn’t really go into the policies and the organizations that do work to help this population,” she said. “I really wanted to get hands-on and get an inside view of that.”

Hernandez also said the trip’s participants were able to connect with the formerly incarcerated community by sharing their own stories about injustices they have witnessed due to an unfair system.

However, Rackham said planning the trip involved significant work because many organizations did not respond to her inquiries about hosting an education program. Though the Community Service Commission funds half of the trip, the organization also received grants from UCLA to help cover the remaining costs.

Despite the funding challenges, Rackham said her most important memory from the trip came from participating in a restorative justice circle at the Ella Baker Center. Through the circle, she learned about instances where women are charged with child abuse or neglect because of the actions of their partners, she said.

“There’s also a large majority of women whose crimes directly are related to the violence or trauma that they’ve suffered but they are criminalized for that,” Rackham said.

Rackham also said her favorite part of working as a site leader was to see participants realize the scope and importance of issues related to the carceral system. She added that she is proud of how students connected to incarcerated people in powerful ways.

“We’re going to these places to learn and engage, and we’re adding as much to their lives in their organization that they’re adding to ours,” Rackham said.