Abstract: Service-learning initiatives often serve as higher education's co-curricular approach to achieving institutional goals of fostering students' civic growth. Alternative Spring Breaks (ASBs) have been understudied as service-learning programmatic options in higher education, thus leaving little to no indication of the larger context of the service experience, nor its participant outcomes in terms of civic engagement (Jones, Robbins, & LePeau, 2011). This talk will discuss a study designed to address gaps in researcher and practitioner understanding of ASBs, by uncovering long-term effects of these widely utilized, yet under-researched programs. Through a narrative inquiry methodology, this study captured the stories of five alternative spring break participants. Analyzing respondent narratives through the lens of Dewey's philosophy of education and Giroux's theory of border-crossing, the researcher was able to speak to service-learning's ability to not only engage students in cross-cultural experiences, but to also cross internal borders within themselves, challenging pre-conceived notions of otherness and social issues. Moreover, the study highlighted the aesthetic and emotive meaning participants ascribe to their service experience long-term, noting shifts in their civic mindfulness and cultural sensitivity as well as propensity to civically engage post-graduation.