Five students from the College of Engineering and Science, accompanied by chaplain and Campus Catholic Ministry Director Father Randall Meissen, spent part of their winter break on a humanitarian service trip to the central mountainous region of the Dominican Republic.
In the rural village of Los Guayuyos, sophomores Bailey Astor, Elias Orellana and Matt Barfield and first-year students Jacob Ewasko and Aydyn Jones joined with local community members Jan. 5-11 to install a sustainable, low-maintenance, gravity-fed water system designed to provide clean water to the village. The project was a continuation of long-term development initiatives between the Catholic Diocese of Orlando and the partner Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana in the Dominican Republic.
The team was met by staff from the Orlando mission office who help coordinate the various volunteer groups that come to the mission center and organize the overarching planning of the various development projects through the year.
This interfaith team from Florida Tech, backed by the Catholic Campus Ministry, the Newman Club and the Student Government Association, spent time gluing PVC pipes, digging trenches and burying water distribution lines. The project’s approach centered on community involvement and awareness to ensure the water system could be easily maintained and repaired by village residents while also seeking to instill a sense of ownership and solidarity among them.
Every evening, the student team gathered for fellowship activities that provided time to reflect on the day’s challenges and successes in light of the virtues of charity, hope and justice, Meissen said. These sessions underscored the shared commitment of the group to serving others in need.
A particularly memorable aspect of the experience was the interaction with local grade-school children. Although the children did not participate in the construction, their excitement and eagerness to practice English—taught at the mission school near the town of La Cucarita—added a human dimension to the project.
“The trip not only brought clean water to a grateful community but enriched the lives of everyone involved through service, cultural exchange and enduring memories,” Meissen said.
The cultural immersion extended beyond the construction site. The Florida Tech students found delight in moments such as savoring freshly harvested coffee from a local grower and working closely in small teams with local families—a process one student described as “the most intense cultural immersion experience” he could imagine. Additionally, a brief excursion to Santo Domingo allowed the team to visit the oldest cathedral in the Americas, whose construction began in 1504, and to explore a city steeped in history, having been founded in 1496 by the brother of Christopher Columbus.
