Students Today Leaders Forever will kick off its spring tour next week during UNI’s spring break. Members of STLF will be traveling across the United States on what the STLF website calls a “community service road trip,” all while building relationships with other students and living by the organization’s pay it forward philosophy.    

STLF is a national organization created in 2003 by two University of Minnesota Twin Cities students. According to UNI’s website, “STLF is a non-profit organization that engages in servant leadership to create positive life experiences.” 

The mission of STLF is to reveal leadership through creating lasting memories, providing service, relationships, and taking community action. 

A large part of this action takes place over spring break, when members of STLF tour across the country to help volunteer in various communities. 

Examples of previous volunteer work include building houses, cleaning in nursing homes, picking up trash and doing landscape work. 

Students meet members of these communities and are exposed to all different kinds of people, places, and circumstances. Each night ends with leadership reflection and activities. 

So far, 45 UNI students have registered their names to go to different states across the U.S. 

The planned states for the spring tour this year look different than last year, with stops throughout a few southern cities along the way.

Rachel Kunst, senior biochemistry major and STFL coordinator, said they will be traveling by charter bus to San Antonio, stopping in St. Louis, Freeport, Texas, Hot Springs, Ark., and Alexandria, La., and along the way.

“In each city, we do a service project, tourism and leadership building activities. This is the third year that UNI is taking an STLF Pay it Forward Tour over spring break. We are a growing organization on campus, and we hope to expand even more next year,” said Kunst.

Erin Wentzien, sophomore marketing and management information systems double major, briefly explained about the experience she had in spring 2014. 

Wentzien said last year, the group visited five cities, including Chicago, Louisville, Ky., Knoxville, Tenn., Columbia, S.C., Edisto Beach, S.C., and Jacksonville, Fla.

 As a freshman last year, Wentzien took the opportunity to make new friends and make memories that would last a lifetime.

“I was a freshman last year so I didn’t have that many friends yet and this trip allowed me to get so many amazing friends that I constantly still hang out with,” said Wentzien.