A team of Deerfield students will travel to the Dominican Republic to build a house for a family with the organization Cambiando Vidas. When work begins, the house will be one cinderblock high. The house will be finished on day five—complete with running water and electricity. Throughout the week, students will have time in the evenings to bond as a group and reflect on the meaning of service and global citizenship. On the final night, the team will share the first dinner in the house with the family and the 100+ members of the community who worked on the house. Students will spend the last night of the trip in Santo Domingo exploring this historic city and considering ways in which they hope to bring the spirit of Cambiando Vidas back home as they begin their summer. Deerfield has been building houses with Cambiando Vidas since 2009.
May 26 – June 3, 2025
This trip is open to current ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade students with a preference towards those with a demonstrated interest in service. Financial aid is available to all qualifying students.
This price is subject to change depending on enrollment numbers and flight costs. The final price will be set before initial deposits and enrollment paperwork are due.
*This itinerary is subject to change.
This eight-day itinerary begins with travel to a hotel near JFK Airport on day one to prepare for the trip. On day two, the group flies to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, then travels to San Juan de la Maguana, stopping to explore the island’s geography, history, and culture. From days two to six, participants will work on building a house and forming connections with the local community while learning about Dominican culture and history.
On day seven, the group returns to Santo Domingo for a day of exploration in this historic city, capped off with a final team dinner. The trip concludes on the eighth day with travel back to JFK Airport.
**Families are responsible for transportation from the JFK airport to the student’s final destination at the end of the trip.
At the end of the trip, faculty trip leaders Sheryl Koyama and Bob Graves, asked students to provide final reflections on what they had learned and experienced during their time in the Dominican Republic. Below are excerpts of students responses.
Garret DeMallie ’21, Connor Guest ’20, and Francis Gannon Jr. ’21 describe the “meaningful” connections they’ve made within the community and the “life lessons” they’ve learned during their time in the DR.
Trip leaders Kris Loftus and Erin Hutchinson share the group’s final reflections from a week in the Dominican Republic!
Annabel Gerber ’20, Cameron Garner ’19, and Nolan Zusi ’19 share the groups activities on their last day at the work site.
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