When Lauralton Hall student Clare Conlon signed up for her first School the World Service Learning trip to Guatemala, she wasn’t sure what to expect. Her mom, Jen, came along too. A week later, they came home with two different, and equally powerful, takes on the same experience.
A connection she didn’t expect. Clare had a good sense of the day to day itinerary going in. What caught her off guard was how quickly a community of strangers made her feel like she belonged.
“I did not really know what to expect, but I was looking forward to finding out about a new country and helping others get an education. On the first day, I was shocked to see how welcoming everyone was,” she wrote in her reflection. “I wasn’t sure how the people there would feel, but they were so welcoming and so nice. The signs, the hugs, if someone is in need of hugs, they should definitely sign up.”
Growing more confident, one classroom at a time. Clare went into the trip nervous about using her Spanish. By the time she was standing in front of a classroom of first graders, that nervousness had turned into something closer to comfort.
“I was nervous to use my Spanish, but I loved seeing all the kids and was surprised at how special they made me feel,” she wrote. Later in the week, teaching in the classroom pushed that further. “I also learned to use my Spanish more, and I think this trip helped me to be a lot more comfortable speaking in another language.”
Part of a team, working side by side with the community. Clare wasn’t just observing the work happening around her. She was doing it herself, working side by side with community members who do this kind of labor every day.
“I also learned a small part of what it is like to do manual labor,” she wrote. “Although many in Guatemala have these kinds of jobs, they never seem sad or as exhausted as I was. This trip taught me to not take things too seriously, and that keeping a smile on your face can have a big effect.”
Real work with results she could see. By the end of the trip, Clare wasn’t just told her work mattered. She watched it in use.
“I was really happy to see the impact the new classrooms and the playground would have on the school,” she wrote. “Just today, the kids were playing on the playground and they were so excited to have these new things. I am so grateful for the impact this trip made on me, and I can’t wait to carry out these new lessons.”
A partnership built to last. For Jen, one of the biggest differences between this trip and a typical volunteer week abroad was learning that School the World isn’t showing up for a few days and moving on. It commits to a community for years, working alongside local leaders and families toward outcomes that outlast any single group of student volunteers.
“People love their country, their culture,” she said. “I think it’s so important what School the World is doing, because people don’t want to have to leave their country. They want to stay with their family and their neighbors. And the only way they really can stay is education. It’s starting right there.”
A daughter who came home changed. Jen didn’t just watch Clare help build something. She watched her grow into someone more confident and more willing to sit in discomfort instead of avoiding it, a shift that showed up again weeks later, far from Guatemala.
“I was kind of waiting for her to say, ‘Mom, I don’t want to go back anymore,’” Jen said, recalling a rough afternoon at their local food pantry after the trip. “Maybe a couple of years ago she would have. But she didn’t. I can’t say the Guatemala experience was 100 percent what did it, but it was definitely part of it. Getting dirty, not being comfortable, that’s part of it, and that’s what we do to make the positive change.”
“We don’t always invite that in,” she added. “But when we have it, and we realize we survived it and actually grew from it, it becomes a lot less scary.”
That confidence didn’t stay behind in Guatemala. It came home with her.
“Service is now a priority,” Jen said. “We found something else to do every week, volunteering at a local food pantry, she and I, every week. It’s not just a small sliver of the pie. We want it to run through our lives, not just once a year. It’s got to be part of who you are.”
A nonprofit where the money goes where it’s needed. School the World is a nonprofit, and Jen wants other parents to understand exactly what that means at fundraising time: the dollars a family raises don’t cover the trip itself. They go directly toward finishing the classroom, the playground, the project the students are there to help build.
“Make sure people know that this isn’t for trip expenses,” she said. “This is for the children and the village. I don’t want people to think we’re asking for money so our daughter and I can do this trip. For the kids who are fundraising, tell people your $400 pays for cement for the school, or a playground toy, something specific. Then people know it didn’t go toward anything of hers.”
She closed with the line that, for her, sums up the whole trip:
“A lot of our society emphasizes the talking part and not enough the doing part. Just do it. Get out there and do it. I love that quote by Gandhi, be the change you want to see.”
Whether you’re looking to make a meaningful impact, build lifelong friendships, or discover a new perspective on the world, a School the World Service Learning trip offers an experience that stays with you long after you return home.
If you’re ready to be part of something bigger than yourself, now is the perfect time to apply. Don’t miss your chance to save while securing your spot on one of our 2027 Service Learning trips. The earlier you apply, the more time you’ll have to prepare, fundraise, and get excited for an unforgettable experience.
Apply today and take the first step toward becoming a World Changer.
