Lauren Bush '06 paints a rebuilt home, devastated by Hurricane Katrina in Elmer, Miss., during a service trip to the Gulf Coast last fall.

For someone with a terrible sense of direction, I was surprised to find the roads looking somewhat familiar as I drove from Mississippi to Louisiana. As roads still missing signage came into view, I estimated where the turn should be - the turn that would take me to the temporary site of Brock Elementary School. I got lost only once before coming upon a makeshift trailer community, alive with the voices of excited children back from their Thanksgiving holiday break.

Spending time at Brock Elementary School - my first visit since April 2006 - brought back memories of Hurricane Relief Team 1, Susquehanna University's first service trip to the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina. (See related story.)

On the first trip, four other Susquehanna students and I spent time in an elementary school in Louisiana, observing students and attempting to identify needs. Following that trip, I developed the Adopt-A-Teacher program, which raised more than $3,000 for the teachers at Brock Elementary, located in Slidell, La. The money was used to replace classroom materials they lost in the hurricanes.

Since my visits during college, I have longed to go back to the Gulf Coast to help. A summer 2006 trip to Biloxi, Miss., and a continuation of my work after graduation through Adopt-A-Teacher, helped alleviate my desire to return for a while. But when Adopt-A-Teacher came to an end, I realized I needed to go back. Thanksgiving break provided that opportunity.

What awaited me beyond the trailer doors of Brock's temporary classrooms surprised and excited me. Bright colors and child-friendly posters covered the walls. Children greeted principal Rose Smith enthusiastically every time she walked into one of the trailers. When we reached second grade, Theresa "Rae" Kelley, a teacher who had kept in touch with me over the past year and a half, was there to greet us. I offered my hand for a handshake, but she grabbed me in a hug and laughed.

During her trip, Bush found construction well underway at Brock Elementary School in Slidell, La. The school was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The school was sitting on a piece of land several blocks removed from its original home. It is rebounding, and before heading back to Biloxi, where I was working for the week rebuilding houses with Habitat for Humanity, I drove by Brock's original site. There I found the school in the process of being rebuilt. The excitement of the teaching staff was contagious as they spoke of Brock's anticipated reopening this fall.

I found my way back to Biloxi that day. Although my sense of direction often leads me astray, my road signs in life clearly include an arrow toward service. Thanks to Susquehanna University, I had the opportunity to explore service during my undergraduate years, and now I am able to continue that passion as I pursue new directions on this road of life.

- Lauren Bush '06