Havana, Cuba

December 18th, 2016 to December 23rd, 2016

Northeastern’s baseball and volleyball teams traveled to Cuba in December 2016 for a cultural exchange that included competition and community service. The trip was the latest in a series of partnerships the university has formed with academic institutions in Cuba. The trip came at the heels of an announcement in June 2016 in which the university formalized several academic and research partnerships with leading Cuban institutions.

During the six-day trip, both teams played two games against Universidad de Habana U23 and Pinar del Rio and participated in community service endeavors, including a clinic session at Organoponico de Alamar, where the teams will learn about applications of agro-ecology in a credit and service cooperative. Following the session, the student-athletes had the opportunity to donate care packages to help those impacted by Hurricane Matthew.

Photo Gallery

Testimonials

Max Burt
"What an eye opening experience it was! The people of Cuba always have smiles on their faces even through their tougher times. That taught myself and our team a little bit about staying positive when you are hit with adversity and to take nothing for granted! The trip showed us to appreciate what we have and not think about what we don’t have.  It was a truly amazing experience that I hope every Northeastern student athlete gets to experience."
Jamie Bredahl
"The opportunity to go to Cuba at the end of my senior year was truly the best possible ending to my athletic career at Northeastern. I got to travel to a land trapped in time with some of my favorite people and gain experiences that will last us a lifetime. I think it is so important that high-level athletes—who typically have schedules which prevent them from traveling abroad—get the chance to broaden their views on the world and make the realization that there are so many cultures and lifestyles that we can learn lessons from. It was truly a chance to exchange global views while simultaneously playing a simple ball game together."
Mike Glavine
"These global experiences are once in a lifetime opportunities for our student athletes. It was exciting for them to learn and share the cultural experience of Cuba and also play our sport. Our trip to Cuba was a great way to enhance our players' education and co-op experience. The trip created a memorable experience for our players and coaches that we will never forget.  I am so thankful our program was able to take this trip and hope we can share this experience with teams in the future."