This spring, the college’s Gracenotes Volunteer Committee sponsored its third annual trip to New Mexico. A group of nine staff and faculty members traveled to Santa Fe to work with Habitat for Humanity. Here, one of the trip participants, Alexandra Berlyn Jacobs, shares her experience.
By Alexandra Berlyn Jacobs
Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument
I’m always looking for my next adventure, so when the option of going to Santa Fe for the Gracenotes volunteer trip came up, I jumped at the opportunity. I’ve always loved going to new places and learning new skills, and was excited to have the opportunity to work outdoors, visit beautiful Santa Fe, and learn about building homes.
On our first full day in Santa Fe, we hiked Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument. We hiked up 500 feet and had a snack break at the top of the monument while admiring the big sky. It was the perfect way to start a week long trip that would test me physically and mentally.
Every morning we had circle time, and we would meet Habitat families, local volunteers, and set our intentions for the day. Circle time also gave us the opportunity to learn fun facts and stories about each other. It became a great bonding ritual for the entire Berklee staff. Led by the Habitat for Humanity staff and AmeriCorps members, I leveled dirt, built and installed framing, hammered sheathing, built coyote fences, and welded! We worked quickly and efficiently, our whole team was committed to getting as much work done as possible in the short time that we were there.
It was a fantastic experience that compounded my love for Berklee and for the experiences that I am able to have as I embark on my career. This trip reminded me that no amount of time and money is too small to make an impact on everyone involved! Thank you Berklee!
Alexandra Berlyn Jacobs ’18 is a coordinator for Institutional Advancement at Berklee and an alumna of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. She has been on staff since May 2018, and mainly focuses on cultivation events and major gift portfolio management. Outside of Berklee, she sings opera, travels, visits art museums, and is a proud cat mom to a ginger tabby named Sir Charles Sebastian.