Student Volunteer Shares Her Alternative Spring Break Experience

May 20, 2026

Three student volunteers from Eastern in front of a Habitat truck in Texas.

Emmy Landre Dorra, center, is pictured with student volunteers, Celeste Landre Dorra, her sister, on the left, and June Carter, on the right.

Emmy Landre Dorra was among a group of three Eastern students who spent their 2026 spring break in Kerrville, Texas helping residents still suffering from the effects of last year’s devastating Guadalupe River flood.

“I really do love volunteering and giving of my time, and that’s why I was so excited about the opportunity of an alternative spring break,” says Landre Dorra, who is from Bellevue, Washington. She recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology on a pre-medical track.

Eastern’s Alternative Spring Break program, led by Mark Este, director of office of community engagement at EWU, pairs students with volunteering opportunities both locally and in far-flung communities.

Although Landre Dorra has volunteered for different causes over the years, this experience provided her and the other student volunteers, all members of Alpha Xi Delta sorority, with a chance to provide hands-on help to people who’d been impacted by the tragic flood.

That July 4, 2025 disaster claimed 139 lives — including 25 young children and two teenage counselors at Camp Mystic, a prominent summer camp for girls — and severely damaged and destroyed more than 350 homes.

Three student volunteers and Mark Este at San Antonio Food Bank. — Celeste Landre Dorra, Emmy Landre Dorra, June Carter, and Mark Este proudly share a snapshot of the work they did for San Antonio Food Bank.

The Eastern students traveled to the area with Este, who was raised in Kerrville and had connections throughout the community. While there they helped out at the San Antonio Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity Kerr County.

Habitat was rebuilding 10 homes for people who’d lost their houses to the flood, Landre Dorra says, while collaborating with other nonprofits and businesses to cover costs and even furnish the homes. Among other tasks, the EWU team helped with staining new fences.

Although it was “chilling to see the damage,” Landre Dorra says they repeatedly met people who shared uplifting stories about people pitching in to make a difference.

“I really enjoyed hearing the stories of how everyone came together, not only in Texas but around the county to help the community,” Landre Dorra says. “That was pretty awesome, to see and be able to help.”

Landre Dorra says person-to-person interactions throughout the alternative spring break in Texas reminded her of why she plans to continue on to medical school and become a physician.

“I highly recommend it,” she says. “It’s a great opportunity to not only help your community but also expand your skills – and leadership skills – in different ways.”