Penn State student Howie Wu won't be tipping back Coronas on a Cancun beach this spring break.

Instead he will be building and repairing homes -- making it the third time he has participated in Habitat for Humanity's Collegiate Challenge.

"It is one of the best experiences of my college [career], and I wanted to share it with others," Wu said.

Wu, Collegiate Challenge co-director, went on the spring break trip last year to Slidell, La., and has kept in touch with Slidell's Habitat for Humanity affiliate.

Penn State has been sending more than 100 students on Habitat for Humanity's Collegiate Challenge for the last five years, said Eric Fisher, Habitat for Humanity president. This year, 129 Penn State students will be dispersed in the southeastern United States in areas struck by Hurricane Katrina late last year.

Last year, some students, including Wu, were sent to build homes in Slidell, a town located just outside New Orleans. Slidell was one of the many communities affected by Hurricane Katrina.

The houses in Slidell that students worked on last spring break sustained damage from Hurricane Katrina, but all the families are safe, Fisher said.

This year, the Collegiate Challenge will send groups of between 14 and 23 students to eight different locations across the Southeast, from Louisiana to Florida, said Noah Wynkoop (senior-business economics), Collegiate Challenge co-director.

"Students drive minivans and cargo vans from State College to their destination," he said. "Work ranges from blitz-builds, where they build a house from foundation to completed shell, to remodeling damaged Habitat homes."

Each student will work on building houses or Habitat for Humanity facilities, such as offices or re-stores, which sell donated and used goods, he said.

The Habitat for Humanity families work in cooperation with their designated team to help build their house, said Jon Raczka (junior-life sciences), a team leader for the trip. Students get to know the family while helping to build their house.

"Sometimes we take the family out to dinner on our night off," Raczka added.

Amy Kelly (junior-special education), who is traveling to Jacksonville, Fla., has never been on Habitat for Humanity's spring break trip before, but she was convinced to go when two of her friends told her about it.

"It is a fairly cheap way to go on spring break," she said. "I didn't really have anything else to do, so I might as well do something productive."

Kate Gillen (freshman-marketing and English), who is traveling to Anniston, Ala., decided to become a team leader, even though this is her first Collegiate Challenge trip.

"I thought it would be a really great experience leadership-wise, and I thought it would be fun to help organize," Gillen said.

Habitat for Humanity groups leave tomorrow, and participants seem excited.

"I think what Habitat [for Humanity] does is really neat. I feel good about doing things for other people," Gillen said. "I'm getting more out of my spring break."