With all of the events going on around the world, the good and the bad, it never hurts to become more educated on different cultures and the diversity around you.

D.E.E.P, or Diversity Education Exploration Project, aims to address this directly by giving students the chance to explore different cultures by offering trips to interact with various cultures on them.

D.E.E.P. has three pillars that aim to fulfill this goal: Culture, Education, and Service.

And this year they will address these pillars in Little Havana, Florida.

In Little Havana they will learn more about the Cuban culture by going to various museums, eating traditional food, and much more.

“For our culture aspect, we explore different museums, eat traditional foods, and attempt to truly experience the culture of the location we visit. Next, for education, we integrate a trip to a graduate school in our itinerary. This way, we can broaden the horizon for students by exploring the opportunity to attend graduate school. Lastly, we incorporate a service aspect into our trip. We believe that when we travel it is important to give back to the area that allowed you to have fun, learn and relax. We attempt to plan service projects that are meaningful to the area. This year we hope to help with some relief efforts for Hurricane Irma” Junior Claire Dirnberger, one of the co-presidents of D.E.E.P., said.

All of the events and trips are planned by students, which in turn gives these students the chance to learn how to network with many different people during the planning stage.

For example, they contact hotels, connect with graduate schools, and coordinate activities with one another.

This gives students the opportunity to learn these skills for use in the future.

“The Diversity Education Exploration Project strives to provide Gustavus students with a safe, fun, and educational Spring Break trip. We strive to make the trip as affordable as possible, so holding a silent auction and setting up GoFundMe are two of our major ways to keep the cost of the trip as low as possible” sophomore PhePhe Quevi, the other co-President of D.E.E.P. said.

This past Tuesday, November 28, from 9 am to 3 pm, D.E.E.P. held a silent auction to help fundraise for their trip to Little Havana, Florida in the Dive.

The avenue of a silent auction was chosen because of tradition. Many different prizes were offered and advertised around campus in the weeks leading up to the auction.

“The silent auction tradition has been happening for several years, and we always get a great turn out for the holidays. It’s an amazing way for the Gustavus community to start looking for holiday gifts and celebrate the season together. Additionally, it is an amazing experience for students. I have had to communicate with businesses, fill out donation request forms, write letters, and market the event! It is a great way to work on your professional communication and marketing skills” Dirnberger said.

Their goal with fundraising is to be able to continue the project for many years to come through the success of this year’s trip.

Furthermore, through the silent auction, students are able to actively interact with the organization and potentially learn about it and thus become interested in their trips.

“We fundraise in order to help students learn and grow during spring break. People of all backgrounds are welcome! Our main goal is to have an open mind and immerse ourselves in a culture” said Janet Jennings, the Advisor of D.E.E.P.

Looking towards the future, D.E.E.P. and the people involved hope to continue to grow and develop the organization and the trips and lessons they have to offer to Gustavus students.

They hope to accomplish this by partnering with other organizations to help educate the Gustavus community about other cultures and the Cuban Diaspora.

Make sure to keep an eye out for their other main fundraising path, their GoFundMe, that will be developed within the coming months according to members of D.E.E.P.

Any help is appreciated to help fund their trips and causes.

If you are interested in getting involved with D.E.E.P., or simply learning more about their values and goals, in the future, you can contact Claire Dirnberger, PhePhe Quevi, or Janet Jennings.