expedition | YourStory International | Empowering communities to reach their goals

Maggie's Mangoes

Maggie Gina is a sixty-six-year-old grandmother of eight. Before the earthquake in 2010, Maggie was a vendor and found great joy in her...

Community Development

Mar 30, 20171 min read

Shannon Foye

Name: Shannon Foye School: University of New Hampshire Major(s): Nutrition and Wellness (Minors in Psychology and Gerontology) Class...

Shannon Foye & Emily Adelsberger

Mar 27, 20172 min read

Happy Blog-iversery

The YSI Blog has been up and running for one full year! Here’s a recap of what YSI has accomplished in that time: Took almost 200...

Emily Adelsberger

Mar 9, 20171 min read

Jacqueline Guerrier

Jacqueline Guerrier is thirty-four years old and has lived in Nolivos her entire life. Faced with difficulty throughout her life, her...

Community Development

Feb 27, 20171 min read

Taylor Spurlock

Name: Taylor Spurlock School: Villanova University Major: Biology Class year: 2017 When and how did you get involved with YSI? I became...

Taylor Spurlock & Emily Adelsberger

Feb 23, 20173 min read

Your Journey Begins at Your Flight Gate

Unless you’re a very frequent flyer, almost everybody gets nervous in the airport. Will my luggage get lost? Will my gate get changed at...

Emily Adelsberger

Feb 9, 20172 min read

Session 2 Recap

Check out this awesome video created by session two UMass YSI advocate, Krista O'Brien.

Krista O'Brien

Jan 25, 20171 min read

Session 3

Day 1: Session 3 advocates arrived at the compound right as the sun was setting. We played an icebreaker and immediately noticed an...

Emily Adelsberger

Jan 19, 20172 min read

Richeleo & Wawen Dina

A mother arrives with her two children and is greeted by Gia, our patient manager. Gia asks their name in Creole, assigns them an...

Emily Adelsberger

Jan 12, 20172 min read

Gia Chirico

Name: Gia Chirico School: Villanova University Major(s): Biochemistry and Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience Class year: 2017 When and...

Emily Adelsberger & Gia Chirico

Jan 5, 20172 min read

Session 1 Update

It's been a busy couple days here in Léogâne. We've been lucky with warm weather and a nice breeze to keep us cool during the busy days....

Julia Brown

Jan 2, 20171 min read

Brandeis University

School: Brandeis How many expeditions has your chapter been a part of: 4 Haiti expeditions and 1 Mississippi expedition Number of...

Herlyne Das

Oct 20, 20161 min read

Karaoke Night

Eight days of volunteering can be tiring, but we always make sure to work in some fun to help wind down after a long day of work. Through...

Emily Adelsberger

Sep 1, 20162 min read

Annika Olson

Name: Annika Olson School: University of Massachusetts Amherst Major(s): Psychology and Economics Class year: 2016 (graduated in May)...

Annika Olson & Emily Adelsberger

Aug 23, 20162 min read

Session 5

Session five went by in a blur! As usual, this session was filled with a diverse group of college students, eager to make a difference in...

Caroline Mountain

Aug 11, 20162 min read

From Haiti and Back, to Around the World

I have always had a passion for traveling - whether it be an organized backpacking expedition to Ecuador or Costa Rica, a family vacation...

Rachel Anna Gaufberg

Jul 14, 20164 min read

Session 4, Days 1-4

Day 1: The first day of each of our sessions is very similar. The advocates go through orientation, presented by the officers and board...

Caroline Mountain & Emily Adelsberger

Jul 11, 20163 min read

Alfred Jean Simon & Mikelda Mariset

Alfred Jean Simon is a 70 year old lifelong resident of Nolivos. He is deaf in his right ear and was recently treated for extreme...

Caroline Mountain

Jul 7, 20162 min read

Nightly Reflections, Part 2

My favorite reflection activity took place on the last night of the expedition. Led by Niamh, UMass Chapter President, the advocates were...

Emily Adelsberger

Jul 6, 20163 min read

Samantha O'Brien

Name: Samantha O’Brien School: University of Massachusetts Major(s): Biology and Psychology/Neuroscience, Pre-Med Class year: 2019 When...

Emily Adelsberger & Samantha O'Brien

Jun 28, 20162 min read