College of Public Health and Human Sciences

Indeed, it was a Long Way Home for Luke Frels. He spent last summer in Comalapa, Guatemala, helping the community of 40,000 with building projects as part of the Long Way Home program. An interior design major, Luke says it was one of the best decisions of his life. “I was at work by 7 a.m., doing anything from digging out a mudslide from behind the school to building a roof over bleachers to participating in activities at a local grade school. I cooked meals using collected rainwater, did stone masonry, poured concrete, shopped at the open-air market, had dinner with local families, walked through corn fields to get between places, traveled by chicken bus, and adjusted to bathing once a week – and through it all I learned a fair amount of Spanish. Life in Comalapa was straightforward, and there was very little stress. I worked hard and loved every minute of it. I enjoyed my work and coworkers so much that I looked forward to getting up at 5:45 a.m. to make breakfast and start swinging a hammer at 7. I returned with a strong desire to begin working in my field and to get the most out of my final two terms at OSU.” Luke will graduate in March 2011 and start his career in sustainable residential design/remodeling, permaculture design, and/or sustainable materials sourcing.