Dr. Ludemann led a student service trip in May 2016 to Guatemala to build two homes, work with children, and distribute hundreds of pounds of shoes and clothing collected over the year. The two groups of students worked to build two houses for Houses to Homes. The work was hard, but Ludemann says there is a great deal of laughter and joy despite scrapes, sun burns, and blisters.

Although none of the students have construction experience and only a few speak Spanish, they were eager to visit a foreign country and successfully accomplish their mission to help make a difference for its residents. Students involved in the trip come from a variety of programs at Framingham State University, including psychology, history, communication arts, education and sociology, among others. Participants ranged from first-years students to graduates who took part in the Spring 2016 Commencement.

“They are a great group of young women and take care of one another and their new families and friends,” Ludemann says.