BIDDEFORD — Twelve students and a professor from a Global Citizenship class at the University of New England spent their spring week in a unique way by traveling Cuernavaca and Amatlán’s in Mexico as part of their course curriculum.

The students, all women, with professor Samuel McReyonlds, were in Mexico from March 10 to March 18 as part of their one-credit required course. The university promotes community service and encourages students to be active thoughtful members of their community.

UNE offers one section of global citizenship that takes a limited number of students to a global location to practice their citizenship skills.

This year the 12 students traveled to Cuernavaca and Amatlán and over the eight-day stay, the students explored and engaged with Mexican culture.

They spent four days living with host families, practicing Spanish and having an authentic experience.

For the majority of the week, students spent time in Amatlán. Amatlán is a small rural community and is the birth place of Aztec God Quetzalcoatl.

While there, students volunteered at a local elementary school. The students worked with teachers to engage students and help out.

“My favorite part was working at the school, every day they would run to you and want to see you and we were able to communicate despite any barrier,” said student Megan Stevens.

Students also stayed at a local cooperative. The cooperative provides jobs for the locals and is an eco-tourism center.

The trip to Mexico incorporated community service with a deep emergence into the Mexican culture and it taught what it means to be a citizen in a global sense, students said.

“It was a life changing experience. It was the combination of the people that we went with the emersion into the culture,” Stevens said.

The aim of the program is to give students an enriching experiences so they can be better informed and active community members.

“The students did a great job. The took in the culture and made the most of it,” said professor McReynolds.

As part of staying on the compound, students ate authentic Mexican food, spoke mostly in Spanish, and reflected on cultural differences and similarities.

“This opportunity to leave the classroom and get real life experience is so important and I think these students did that,” McReynolds said.

Global Citizenship is one of UNE’s travel courses that include a one-week global experiences where students can practice and experience what they have learned in their classes.