Helping Hawks Trek: What Happens When Parents and Kids Build a School Together
When Vicky Pradhan first heard about Trek, it wasn’t the destination that drew her in. It was the opportunity to step out of the ordinary and into something that mattered.
“My friend had just gotten back from Trek and couldn’t stop talking about it,” she recalls. “But what really got me was the idea of doing something out of the ordinary with my daughter, something that would be an adventure and in service to others.”
Vicky and her daughter Ella, who is in high school, made the journey to Nicaragua together, spending a week with a host family and laying the foundation for a brand new school with buildOn. That first trip was powerful. So powerful, in fact, that just hours after returning home, Vicky found herself sharing the experience with other parents at a school gathering.
She didn’t realize she was recruiting for her next Trek, but her story spoke for itself. Within an hour, Helping Hawks was born: a Community Trek team of parents and children, ready to serve, travel, and grow together.
Unplugging to Connect
This past February, Helping Hawks traveled to Paraje Betania, Guatemala, to help build a school alongside community members. For Vicky, it was a chance to create a different kind of memory with her 7th-grader son Trent, one without phones, distractions, or the pressure of day-to-day life.
“In a world that’s so tech-forward, it’s an uphill battle to get your kid off a screen,” Vicky says. “But on Trek, none of the kids had their phones. There were no iPads, no movies. Just people. Real connection. And it made a huge difference.”
For Trent, it wasn’t about missing tech. It was about what filled that space instead.
“It was a different type of love that I’ve never really seen before,” Trent said. “Loving someone you’ve never even known—pouring out your heart to someone who’s a stranger, but you still love them.”
He also appreciated that everyone on the trip was unplugged.
“I think it would have been worse if technology was fully allowed,” he shared. “It’s better without it.”
“On Trek, none of the kids had their phones. There were no iPads, no movies. Just people—real connection. And it made a huge difference.” —Vicky Pradhan
Letting Kids Take the Lead
The Helping Hawks didn’t just show up and serve. Months before departure, the students led their own fundraising efforts to raise money for both the school and the trip down to Guatemala to build it, organizing bake sales around San Francisco. But the real breakthrough didn’t come from selling cookies. It came from stepping up.
“At one point, we parents realized we were hovering too much,” Vicky recalls. “So we walked away. Literally left the kids at the table.”
What happened next was unforgettable.
“They started talking about why they were raising money, what it meant to build a school. One of Trent’s favorite things to talk about was how girls deserve an equal education. When the parents came back, there were two lines of people lined up to buy from them.”
By the end of the day, they’d raised over $2,200 at a single bake sale. More importantly, they understood why they were doing it.
Why These Experiences Matter
For the parents and kids of Helping Hawks, Trek was more than a trip. It was a reset. A re-centering. A reminder of what’s most important.
“Being in Guatemala and seeing how people rely on each other—that changed me,” Vicky said. “Here in the U.S., we overcomplicate everything. But there, connection was simple. Natural. And I realized that’s what I’d been missing.”
Since returning home, she’s leaned back into community, throwing parties and striking up spontaneous conversations with strangers in the grocery store. She’s even organizing a reunion for the Helping Hawks Guatemala team.
“It’s not about deep conversations. It’s about noticing someone’s humanity. Trek reminded me how easy that can be.”
“It’s about noticing someone’s humanity. Trek reminded me how easy that can be.” —Vicky Pradhan
What Comes Next
Vicky’s already thinking about her next Trek with Trent by her side. Her experience shows the power of parents and children going on Trek together. The power of not just sending a kid on Trek, but doing the work with them. Of letting them lead and letting them be proud of what they’ve done.
Because when you build a school together, you’re not just making bricks and mortar. You’re building something far more lasting.
Interested in organizing a Trek with your child or family? Click here to learn more about Trek and take the first step toward your own life-changing journey.