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While many students kicked off their summer break with vacations or downtime, a dedicated group of students from the Research Aligned Mentorship (RAM) Program chose a different path鈥攐ne of service, learning, and community engagement through the Alternative Summer Break (ASB) 2025 experience.

What is ASB?

ASB (Alternative Summer Break) is the RAM Program鈥檚 commitment to engaging students in meaningful service with local, domestic, and international communities. These immersive experiences go beyond volunteering鈥攖hey challenge students to step out of their comfort zones and into real-world environments where they can support and learn from community organizations tackling complex social issues.

ASB 2025 Highlights

馃敼 Day 1: Island Harvest Warehouse (Melville, NY)
RAM students began their journey by sorting donations and assembling essential food boxes at Island Harvest, directly supporting local hunger relief programs. This hands-on experience opened their eyes to the logistics and dedication behind food security efforts in our own backyard.

馃敼 Day 2: ReWild Long Island (Deer Park, NY)
With trowels and gardening gloves in hand, students helped maintain rain gardens, tackled invasive species, and learned the value of native plant restoration. This day underscored the connection between environmental stewardship and community well-being.

馃敼 Day 3: Habitat for Humanity (Wyandanch, NY)
On the final day, RAM students helped build homes for families in need. From painting to construction support, students saw firsthand how teamwork and service can create lasting impact鈥攁nd shelter.

Why ASB Matters

ASB isn鈥檛 just about service hours鈥攊t鈥檚 about transformation.

鈥淎SB helped me realize that I have a place in making change happen鈥攏ot just in the future, but right now.鈥�
鈥� RAM Student Participant

Through team-building, daily reflection activities, and immersive site work, students built stronger connections with their peers, discovered new strengths within themselves, and gained Applied Learning hours required for graduation. But most importantly, they gave back to communities right here on Long Island in ways that were personal, purposeful, and powerful.

Looking Ahead

As one of our RAM advisors, Allie McGlone, said: 鈥淎SB is where service meets self-discovery.鈥� We鈥檙e proud of every RAM student who chose to give their summer break a deeper meaning. Your dedication to helping others, learning through experience, and showing up with heart represents what the RAM Program is all about.

SEE YOU AT ASB 2026!