Hi, my name is Mariel Falcon! I'm a sophomore student here at the University of Maryland, and I'm majoring in Kinesiology, with a minor in French Studies. I'm also taking some Biology and pre-med recommended courses because I'm in denial that I can't study everything in college. I have a few aspirations for all of that: I might want to apply to biology or kinesiology graduate programs, or maybe some similar research programs. Another thing that interests me would maybe be to teach at the university level some day!

Annapolis, Maryland is my hometown and has been my entire life--I love it there. It's a pretty little marina "city", and even though it is the capital of Maryland, I think it's a little more like a town than a city. Still, though, I love it. College Park has been quite a transition for me, and although I love the university to death, I definitely miss my hometown sometimes.

Some things I'm involved in on campus include: being a tour guide with the group Maryland Images, a team mentor in the one of the planning committees in the Relay for Life group (a philanthropy event for the American Cancer Society), and I also play intramural soccer with some friends one or two times a week. All of those activities are very important pastimes to me, and have helped shape who I am. Relay for Life especially, I think, applies to my participation in this alternative spring break trip. This will be my first time participating in such a trip, and I'm excited! Helping plan for the Relay for Life events on campus has definitely given me a little background in philanthropy, and I can't wait to apply those skills to another worthy cause--rural poverty. The picture above, actually, is one of my Relay team and I last year walking the first lap around the track (I'm in the pink shorts!). In particular I'm interested in learning how we can make a visible difference in the community we'll be visiting (Bland, VA). Even though we are easily able to see large-scale effects of financial support, educational support, etc., I believe that little, personal contributions can help change a community for the better, and hopefully our group can prove this belief correct!