Xiaoxiao Zhang, a student in the US-China 1+2+1 program, offers a different perspective on the Alternative Break experience.

Working in coordination with local camp directors and environmental scientists, a team of George Mason students and staff dedicated a week of direct service toward stemming the tide of invasives, building and restoring natural reefs, and clearing trash from beaches to help rehabilitate the land to its pre-development state

Over the 2013 spring break, George Mason students got a look at life in one of the "fourth world" pockets of the U.S. Facing frightening drop-out rates, decaying public infrastructure, and gang recruitment, some neighborhoods are experimenting with charter schools, community centers, and after-school programs.