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They got muddy in the marshlands of Old Town Creek, which are too fragile for heavy construction equipment. There, they helped dig a channel by hand to revitalize an area damaged by climate change.

During their spring break trip in March, 24 Bonner Scholars spent their days addressing issues not often seen by tourists visiting the city’s affluent destinations.

The service trip, now in its third year, connected first-year students and upper-class leaders with Neighbors Together, the Low Country Food Bank, Trident United Way and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

Carter Ratcliff ’27 and Sunny Baek ’26 spent their first-year spring breaks on the trip and led this year’s It’s not about telling others what to do, Baek said, but about listening, learning and working together: “Hearing from local leaders and nonprofit staff in Charleston has helped me think critically about how to be a better volunteer and advocate, especially in communities that are not my own.”

Ratcliff, a Bonner and Questbridge Scholar from rural Missouri, comes from a family familiar with balancing food, housing, medical and childcare needs on a tight income. His time as a Bonner Scholar has led him to new paths.

“I value the work we do,” he said. “It has always been important that we take the time we have to make our communities better, especially for the most vulnerable among us.