Turning passion into action

By Gillian Mahoney | Published April 2026

There was a collective sigh of relief as the van rolled to a stop after 20 hours on the road from Boston. It was the spring of 2004, and Caitlin Brooking (CAS’04) had just arrived in St. Mary’s, Georgia with 15 fellow BU students. Since there were no vehicles allowed on Cumberland Island, the group strapped their camping gear onto their backs, clambered onto the ferry, and hiked out to the nationally protected seashore.

The students were part of BU’s Alternative Service Break program, a service experience during spring break that allows students to volunteer at organizations across the country and tackle critical social and environmental issues. The program encourages participants to take the values and skills they’ve learned and make an impact on their own communities.

Although this location, Brooking recalled, was more “rustic” than some. Her group stayed on the beautiful yet remote seashore with no access to technology. By day, they navigated the island using paper maps, building hiking trails and clearing the area of invasive species. By night, they cooked their food on a fire and slept in tents. “I was an indoor cat. I had never been camping,” Brooking laughed. “It was hard work!”

Their tasks were challenging, yet Brooking was immersed in nature in a way she had never experienced before. Between gathering firewood and lopping branches from trees, she spotted armadillos and wild horses on her path. She glimpsed dolphins surfacing on the nearby ocean. And most importantly, she could see the impact she and her peers were making every day.

A history of giving back

The Alternative Service Break marked the last leg of Brooking’s journey as a prolific volunteer at BU’s Community Service Center (CSC), now the Student Leadership & Impact Center. She loved community service, and “tried to do all the programs” when she joined as a first-year. Her favorite was the Student Food Rescue, through which food runners brought leftover produce and nonperishable foods from University dining halls to local food pantries. Before long, Brooking was organizing volunteers and putting the puzzle of people’s varying backgrounds, skills, and interests together to create the biggest impact. She credits these experiences as the foundation for the leadership skills she uses today. “I was seeing things in the community that could be better, and I was able to act on them. I didn’t have to wait until I got out of college to organize something to make a difference. It shaped my perspective going into other communities when I started my career.”

As a psychology major, Brooking had originally planned to pursue a graduate degree in clinical psychology. However, after working in a lab during her senior year, she quickly decided that a career in research wasn’t for her. But when she wrapped up her time on Cumberland Island, she knew her job wasn’t finished. That’s when it dawned on her that she could make a professional life out of what she loved to do the most—community service.

“I originally went on the Alternative Service Break for fun, but I loved it so much that I wanted to work as a conservation intern. And then my whole career took a side quest because of it.”

Building houses and community

After she graduated from BU, Brooking found herself in Squam Lakes, NH as a member of the AmeriCorps Student Conservation Association. She spent three months building hiking trails and living in a farmhouse—and had the time of her life. Her conservation work took her all over the country, until she settled down in a new state: Mississippi.

When Brooking arrived in Biloxi, Mississippi in 2007, the coastal city was still reeling from Hurricane Katrina two years after the natural disaster. The Massachusetts native had never pictured herself living far away from home, but after watching news coverage of the perpetual flooding, power outages, and infrastructure damage, “the images just stuck in [her] head.” Determined to help, she moved to Mississippi to build houses and manage volunteers. Once in Biloxi, Brooking worked as a program manager and eventually the director of programs for Hands On Gulf Coast, a disaster response nonprofit.

“It was scary at first, because I didn’t always know the right thing to do,” Brooking admitted. “But I remembered what I learned at the CSC, and that was to keep using whatever resources I had to do the best I could.” That approach propelled her to a leadership role at Volunteer Mississippi, where she directed AmeriCorps, volunteer engagement, and disaster response programs. But no matter the problem in front of her, Brooking’s passion for creating community hasn’t changed. “I’ve always enjoyed building something new with people who want to make their communities a better place. I love that everyone can add a piece to something we’re building together.”

Empowering the next generation

Today, Brooking is the executive director of the Refill Jackson Initiative (RJI), a nonprofit organization in West Jackson, Mississippi that provides workforce development training to the city’s 18–30 population. She joined the RJI in 2018 as a board member, but found that she wanted to be on the ground with program members and understand the inequality and poverty working against them. After becoming executive director in 2021, she has learned what it means to create opportunities for young people in her community who have not traditionally had them. This, Brooking says, has been the most eye-opening experience of her career.

Through working directly with these young people, who have a variety of social service needs, Brooking “educates up,” presenting data to legislators, grant writers, and the public to help “change the narrative about young people in Jackson.” She especially focuses on Black youth, working to counteract the systemic racism preventing them from getting the resources they need. During her time as executive director, Brooking and her team have empowered hundreds of young people to gain the personal and professional skills they need to enter the workforce with confidence and help their community thrive.

Decades later, Brooking describes her volunteer experiences at BU as vital for shaping her career in the nonprofit industry. She holds onto her mindset from her CSC days: when something doesn’t work, she does whatever it takes to find a solution. She mirrors the resilience of the communities she serves. And when obstacles inevitably appear, she never hesitates to act.

Now, Brooking encourages those around her to learn more about the issues in their communities and give back. “Volunteering demonstrates the power to make a difference,” Brooking reflects. “Because of it, everyone can have a place in the solution. It’s a great way to put your passion into action. And one of the best benefits is getting to build community with people from different walks of life who care about the same thing you do.”

Do you want to contribute to a cause that’s meaningful to you? There’s still time to join Terriers from all over the world for Global Days of Service this April!

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