St. John's University Athletics
Kernizan Helps Provide Big Help For The Big Easy
4/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
St. John???s Track and Field jumper, Johana Kernizan came home from spring break with more than a tan this year. This March, Kernizan flew back to New York from the Southern tropics with a renewed sense of confidence, pride and accomplishment.
However, Kernizan???s spring break wasn???t spent on an island paradise; instead the Red Storm junior chose to team up with 15 other St. John???s University students and traveled down to the Big Easy to help rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005.
The alternate spring break was organized by St. John???s University Campus Ministries and was sponsored by Catholic Charities. Both the Queens Campus Resident Minister James Walters, and the Staten Campus Island Resident Minister James Behan, set up the trip and accompanied the students.
???I learned early on that patience is a virtue,??? remarked Kernizan. ???We got to the airport and our flight was cancelled, so we had to take a flight to Atlanta. We didn???t end up getting on a flight until 10:30 that night. Patience, motivation and focus were the first few things that I learned going there. If it wasn???t for that, we would have all turned around.???
The students teamed up to help with the reconstruction efforts of three separate houses in the New Orleans region. The first house was the home of Louis Cruz, who had lived with his family in the structure for 47 years.
???Going in the first day we were tired, but when we met the family we forgot everything,??? reminisced Kernizan. ???They were so thankful for us. They couldn???t believe we came all the way from New York. To us it???s just a three hour plane ride; but for them it???s something really special. Mr. Cruz brought us donuts in the morning and chicken on Tuesday afternoon.???
At the Cruz house, the students worked on cleanup efforts, beam and wall removal so the family can rebuild.
Work on the second and third houses was similar. However, the second home had already been gutted and the students were helping clear out the rest of the families belongings.
For Kernizan, who had suffered a hamstring injury her senior year of high school, the trip meant more to her than just helping those in need.
"At the beginning I was trying to figure out why I was chosen, because I???m not a big person,??? remarked Kernizan. ???But the trip taught me that even though I???m a petite person, I have a lot of strength. I knocked out a whole wall by myself and it was a great sense of accomplishment. It taught me that I should never underestimate myself and I can do whatever I put my mind to. With school and track there is always a barrier you must overcome. Right now I feel like I am the most confident that I have been in a few years.???
The students also learned that there is still much to be done to repair the Gulf region especially with the levies and the destroyed wetlands, which surrounded and protected the city.
"There is so much devastation in the ninth ward, which was the worst hit [it gets flooded from all four quadrants, by both the dam and the Mississippi River], because no one had touched it yet,??? said Kernizan. ???You saw all the destruction. People???s homes were molded by the water; and teddy bears, refrigerators etc., were all over the place. New Orleans also lost a lot of its wetlands, which was its barrier to protect the city, so even though we go down there to build houses, redoing the structure for the levies and rebuilding the wetlands should be also be their main focus.???
However, Kernizan and her companions have hope for the region and plan on returning eventually.
???The people I went to New Orleans with are like my family now,??? said Kernizan. ???We see each other and call each other often. We all want to go back. Especially since there is so much work to be done. They need so much extra help. In a way they are sort of forgotten since it???s not as publicized as it was before, and a lot of the skilled workers left. They really appreciate it and if anyone wanted to do it, I would say go for it. If the family comes back or not, you still give them that choice.???
-- RED STORM --
