Shernelle James is a sophomore biology/pre-dental major from St. Croix, Virgin Islands. She works in Gannon’s Admissions Office as a friendly KnightCaller (you may even get a call from her some time checking in about your college search). Shernelle recently took a trip to the beautiful Bahamas on a Gannon alternative spring break trip and took some gorgeous photos to share with us.

One great thing about Gannon University is that students are encouraged to apply what they learn in their classes to their everyday life, even on spring break. Gannon offers a few alternative break trips, one of which is a tropical marine ecology course that takes place in San Salvador, Bahamas. That’s right, I said Bahamas. This actually counts as a two-credit course at Gannon and is open to all majors. This trip turned out to be my most memorable experience in college so far.

A typical day for the 16 students who went to San Salvador started with waking up to breakfast cooked with a savory island flavor. The warm sun blessed with cool breezes created a sense of relaxation for us. After breakfast, we received our objectives for the day from our professors Dr. Andraso and Dr. Ganger. Most days included grabbing our snorkel gear and heading to the beach. We got to snorkel among coral reefs and saw an array of sea creatures. During the evening we would meet up to identify and discuss what we saw, then record it in our daily journals.

If you would be interested in exploring a beautiful island where the glistening waters kiss the white sand, I highly recommend going on this alternative spring break trip. I learned a lot about the history of San Salvador, coral reefs and various species of flora and fauna. This trip encouraged critical thinking and the process wove 16 students together in a bond that cannot be broken.

Gannon offers a variety of alternative spring break options, check out some photos from last years batch of trips.