A group of 12 UAF students helped build new homes in New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina victims during spring break.

The students raised almost $14,000 to fly down to Louisiana to assist Habitat for Humanity with its reconstruction effort as part of the Leadership Program's "Alternative Spring Break" program. The team labored on four houses and several sheds and bunk beds for the weeklong effort.

"We definitely came down here to work hard, and there have been a couple bumps, but everything's going well," said Cynthia Lashinski, a 22-year-old accounting major on the trip.

The group assembled its bags the Friday before break began and set off on a 31 hour journey to Musician's Village in the Upper Ninth Ward of New Orleans, said J.J. Boggs, coordinator of the Leadership Program. They moved into a hostel, did a little shopping, and then got to work that Monday.

Among the group is Brian Lyke, a freshman journalism major and self-described as the only single guy in the group 10 women and two men. He spent his first day tearing apart a warehouse for scrap lumber. He also built sheds and bunk beds for the volunteers to sleep in.

"We worked hard, long and that first day was really good," said Lyke, 19.

Besides a safety talk and a get together with the other 8,000 students there, Lashinski said by telephone Thursday that once they got there, it was right to work.

"A lot of it's a learning experience, but it's not very complex," she said. "We're hammering a lot, and a lot of people are using chainsaws for the first times. But a lot of it is cutting wood and putting it back together."

Lyke, who hasn't done much construction work before this, learned a few lessons along the way. Don't get paint on windows, for example. When he did, he spent an hour trying to get it off with paint thinner. Also, don't dribble the paint.

"I tell you, I learned a great appreciation about getting the work done the first time," he said.

While in New Orleans, the UAF crew received national attention. A television crew from MTV interviewed the students Thursday.

The group expected the piece to air sometime this week.

On Friday, the group's last day working, the UAF volunteers painted primer in two homes, said Tabitha Johnson, a psychology and Spanish major. Some students put shingles on roofs, and others cleaned porches.

"It was a great ending note," said Johnson, 22.

The group spent Saturday checking out the town, and began the flight home Sunday.

This is the Leadership Program's second Alternative Spring Break. In 2006, Boggs brought a small group of students to San Francisco to do conservation work for the Golden Gate National Parks.

For this year's trip, Kari Pile, a construction management major who works for the Leadership Program, pitched going to New Orleans. Pile, 23, had already helped there last year with the club Rotaract.

"We brought down seven of our team members and went down six months after Katrina hit and spent a week gutting out houses," she said. "It was really rewarding. The people in the community were super appreciative. Everywhere we went the people thanked us for what we were doing."

Lyke had never been to New Orleans before. He said even now, more than a year later, the damage is still apparent.

"Some of those houses were awesomely destroyed, in the Biblical sense," he said.

Compared to the San Francisco trip, Boggs said this one has been much easier. The students don't have to camp outside, and showers and other amenities are available.

"Last year was a great trip, it just came with some extra challenges," she said. "This one has been a lot smoother."

Not that it couldn't have been better. Rain forced volunteers indoors for much of Wednesday. Habitat for Humanity was also flooded with volunteers from other universities, with around 800 students helping by the time the UAF crew arrived, Boggs said. Those factors together meant less time building houses than the group expected, she said.

"While we've gotten a chance to do that, we definitely came down here ready to work harder than we have," Boggs said.

The Leadership Program had to raise considerable cash for the trip. At nearly $1,000 per student, the trip far exceeded the program's budget. The students held a Mardi Gras dance, a spaghetti feed, and appealed to the student government for money.

With about $500 coming in from each of the students on the trip, Boggs said they were able to just barely make it into the black and get everyone to Louisiana.

Other students on the trip include Clarissa Ribbens, Megan Richards, Erica Milstead, Temple Dillard, Renee Pasker, Erica Schooley, Emily Schooley and Alexis Fernandez.

"It's pretty cool, because most of them are from Alaska, and a lot of them have never been out of state," Pile said.

Lashinski said that while in line for groceries, a woman noticed their shirts said "Alaska" on them. They then told her why they were in New Orleans.

"She was so excited that we came down to help that they bought our groceries," she said.