Alternative Spring Break Students Travel to Small Town Middle School in NC
April 4, 2025
This Spring Break, a group of Boston University students—including Richie Jiang (Questrom ’27, Pardee ’27) and Scott Carlson, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Career Development, Feld Center for Career & Alumni Engagement —traveled to Terrell Lane Middle School in Franklin County, North Carolina, through Alternative Spring Breaks, available to all undergraduate students. The school is located in a bucolic part of the state with a rich history and tight-knit community, but also faces persistent challenges such as limited access to internet and educational resources. Continuing a BU tradition dating back to the late 2000s, the group painted a mural and led workshops with students, including a session titled “Why Being Kind is Good Business.” The experience proved transformative and eye-opening for all involved.
The Alternative Spring Break (ASB) group was composed of students from Questrom, CAS, and Pardee, representing countries from across the globe. For many, it was their first time traveling to the American South. One of the group’s primary projects was to design and paint a mural for the school’s library—a lasting symbol of creativity, encouragement, and partnership.
The week went far beyond brushes and paint. The BU students were stunned by the conditions they encountered. The school system, like many in rural, under-resourced areas, is grappling with a funding and talent crisis. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the local superintendent managed to secure enough Chromebooks for every student, but with no home internet access, the district had to retrofit buses into Wi-Fi hotspots and park them around town to keep learning alive. Mental health has also been a major concern. Students learned that over the years, the school community has been navigating the heartbreaking and ongoing challenge of supporting students through mental health struggles, including suicide.
Despite the hardships, the trip was filled with meaningful moments. The group toured a historic mill and learned about the region’s economic roots—how slavery once shaped its development, and how restoration efforts are helping reclaim and redefine that history. They also visited an alpaca farm, where they got an unexpected deep dive into the world of competitive alpaca breeding.
Below are photos taken of the Alternative Spring Break travelers in front of an old mill owned by a British expat who investigated war crimes in Bosnia and was one of Tony Blaire’s bodyguards. The owner gave the travelers a tour of the mill and the surrounding grounds and shared his efforts in restoring the mill to preserve history for future generations to learn about its historical and economic importance.
The group stayed with a local couple whose story left a lasting impression. The husband, a Vietnam War medic veteran, is now the town’s only family doctor; his wife, a former educator at Terrell Lane, serves on the local school board. Together, they run a nonprofit coffee shop that employs individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Scott says, “They have a dog, two cats, and a bird that we all enjoyed hanging out with and were incredibly kind and interesting people that opened my and the students’ eyes to what ‘small town living’ is really like.”
In addition to his role as a chaperone, Scott Carlson taught 11 sessions across grades 6 through 8, bringing to life two topics: “Continuing Education” and “Why Being Kind is Good Business.” He noted that while many students were skeptical about college, they were intrigued by the financial side of business—an entry point that helped spark conversations around empathy, goals, and future aspirations.
For Richie Jiang, a double major in Finance, Real Estate, and International Relations with a minor in Psychology, the experience was deeply personal. “As an immigrant and a student in a big city, I thought I ought to go see and understand the country and its people whom I care so much about,” he said. “This trip with ASB provided exactly that window of opportunity and knowledge I hoped to find.”
Richie will never forget what happened after his presentation to a group of sixth graders about college. A teacher approached him, eyes filled with tears, and shared that just three days earlier, one of her students had said he wanted to drop out of school and join a gang. But after hearing Richie talk about college—how exciting and fun it could be—that same student had a change of heart. He told her he no longer wanted to give up on school. He wanted to go to college.
Originally from the University of San Diego, Richie transferred to BU Questrom seeking a broader, more diverse community. Outside the classroom, Richie is a true multi-hyphenate: a lover of sports ranging from golf and tennis to Jiu-Jitsu and equestrian, and a world record holder as the youngest open-water scuba instructor and CPR/EFR instructor. His latest interest? Magic tricks.
Through a week of service, learning, and unexpected discoveries, the group returned to BU with a deeper understanding of rural America—and of themselves.
Contributors include Scott Carlson & Richie Jiang.
This article was put together with the support of AI.
