In May 2016 ten Blazers went to Puerto Rico for Dr. John Maddox's Spanish and Service Learning program. Their experience included language and culture classes at the University of Turabo and a hands-on service project that the class planned, implemented, and discussed through the lenses of social sciences, pedagogy, and literature. The UAB students painted murals that children can draw on in chalk, played sports with the area's youth, and created a community garden.

This project was the first international/cultural exchange through the University of Turabo and La Perla community's longest-running volunteer service project. It was also one of UAB's first service learning courses abroad, and the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures' first trip to the island. Students Kaitlyn Allen, Susan Boyd, Savannah Ferch, Emma Schroer, Meredith Schertzinger, Jasmine Foreman, Alex Otto, Shannon Lukens, Cayla Hamilton, and Drue Benefield are true pioneras!