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School of Law Students to Build Homes in Mexico

To commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a day of service, 40 students at the Pepperdine University School of Law will spend the upcoming holiday weekend building homes for needy families in Tecate, Mexico. This year marks the third annual trip that Pepperdine law students have taken to do this service project.  

Third-year student Greer Illingworth, working in collaboration with San Diego-based Amor Ministries, has facilitated the trip for the past three years. This year, the number of students participating has doubled since last year. The students will work for two and a half days to construct the outside of two homes without the use of power tools or electricity. "You see every piece of lumber, you nail every nail … it's very real," says Illingworth of the experience.

Due to increased participation this year, the students will construct two single-family homes. The final product will be two-room homes, minus a bathroom and wiring, similar to many other houses in the semi-rural area. "When you hand the keys over to the families, it's the best moment," explains Illingworth.

Courtney Echols (JD '08), director of alumni affairs for the School of Law, has participated in the trip for the past two years. "It’s a good experience for Type-A personality students because you can see the effect of what you're doing right away," says Echols. She calls the trip "a humbling experience" that shows students that there is more to life than law school.

The trip is sponsored by the Global Justice Program at the School of Law. Learn more about the program here.