University of Richmond students spend summer doing humanitarian work in the U.S. and abroad
August 25, 2008
Teaching English in one of Paraguay's poorest villages, traveling to Guatemala to learn about the country's adoption policies or helping economically disadvantaged youth gain work training and experience in New York may not be a dream summer vacation for most college students.
But for many University of Richmond students, summer vacation was an opportunity for community engagement or career-building internships.
Junior Juliette Jeanfreau, a native of New Orleans, returned to her hometown to work with a professor at Tulane University on a "community map" of volunteer organizations involved in post-Katrina relief. The database will help direct volunteers to groups needing people to execute their efforts.
The Bonner Center for Civic Engagement had more than 30 students participating in community engagement internships. Twenty-two students in the Bonner Scholars Program, a four-year scholarship program for students with financial need and a record of service, went to Philadelphia to learn about community revitalization projects that could be duplicated in cities such as Richmond. The students toured a business district undergoing revitalization, visited a nonprofit agency dedicated to revitalizing a culturally diverse neighborhood and learned about Penn Alexander School, a successful public school.
Nine Burhans Civic Fellows, who were awarded scholarships to encourage internships at nonprofit, governmental or other service organizations, spent the summer on such projects as advising at-risk youth and assisting attorneys in the United States and abroad. Students worked in Nebraska, New York, Virginia, Guatemala and Paraguay.
Fellow Vladimir Hruda, a senior majoring in economics, created a technology platform for the Highland Support Project in Guatemala to connect U.S. and Guatemalan classrooms online and developed a new Web site for the organization. Kate Simma, another fellow and a senior majoring in political science, taught English as a second language in Asuncion, Paraguay. She also helped with projects to enhance the quality of life for citizens, such as helping local women develop a micro-enterprise in jewelry-making.
Nine students received C. Weinstein Grants for Summer International Projects and Study. Students conducted research in Catalunya, Gabon, Guatemala, Israel, Peru and Tanzania. Karen DeBonis, a junior psychology and Spanish major, went to Ayacucho, Peru, to teach English to children and conduct ethnographic research about volunteerism. Agathamarie Mushi, a senior economics and international studies major, returned to Tanzania, her home country, to study the effects of climate change on the local economy. Last year, Mushi used a Davis Peace Grant to establish a facility for AIDS/HIV counseling, testing and treatment in Tanzania.
Jonathan Falk, a law school student, was an intern at Laster and Goldman Law Firm in Jerusalem, Israel. The firm specializes in international environmental law and regulation. Alejandra Zapatero, also a law student, traveled to Guatemala to extend research she is conducting to improve the country's adoption laws.
Several students from the Jepson School of Leadership Studies also completed humanitarian internships. Senior Maggie Deichman combined her interests in service and public relations to plan and implement events for the Starlight Children's Foundation in Sydney, Australia. Mandy Friend, also a senior, interned with the Finger Lakes Worforce Investment Board in Geneva, New York. She helped provide training and build work experience for 30 economically disadvantaged 16-21 year-olds; helped 40 at-risk youth develop basic competency skills; and helped organize a career fair. Junior Kendall Paine worked with Medical Teams International in mobile dental clinics, which treat uninsured patients in the Pacific Northwest.
In the Robins School of Business, 17 MBA students completed consulting projects for five international firms as part of the university's French MBA International Residency Project. Two undergraduate business students spent the summer abroad doing international internships: Junior Emily Cahill conducted market research, updated a Web site and created brochures and graphics for MLI International Schools, and senior Daniel Warhola completed an internship at Extreme Information.