Dr. Therese Seibert

I am thrilled to be leading my third, faculty-led, travel-abroad course to Rwanda, which will introduce an amazing group of five Keene State College students to Rwandan culture and history, including the 1994 genocide of the Tutsi. KSC students will be joined by four students from Weber State University that is located in Ogden Utah.  The students have been preparing for this study abroad course throughout the spring semester, learning about Rwandan culture and the genocide.They have also worked hard to prepare for our service work in Rwanda, which includes obtaining a generous $800 donation from Keene State's Student Affairs division that will be used to purchase 100 medical insurance policies for low-income Rwandans living in a rural area. In addition, these students made a formal presentation about Rwanda and this trip to the Springfield Rotary Club.  They have also collected medical supplies that will be distributed to orphanages and books that they will hand deliver to a school in  Butare, which is in southern Rwanda. While there, we will draw on Katie and Kelly's teacher training as we spend a day with kindergarten students at Butare Primary School. My deepest appreciation to Charlie Christianson for all his support in our fundraising efforts.  

The first two weeks of the trip involves travelling throughout Rwanda so that students can experience Rwanda’s culture and ecological wonders and challenges.  I want to thank Professor Thomas Durnford for teaching us survival French that will come in handy as we trek across this beautiful country. Destinations include genocide memorials, Akagera Park, Nyungwe Forest, African markets, Lake Kivu, and National University of Rwanda (NUR). In the last two weeks of the trip, students will participate in an international Peace Building Institute (PBI) sponsored by the Rwandan NGO Never Again Rwanda (NAR). In order to enhance cross-cultural understanding, NAR designs their PBI to include 9 American students and 9 Rwandan students. Two of our students, Kelly and Alex, will actually make a formal presentation at the PBI on perpetrator behavior, based on the scholarship of KSC Professor James Waller.  Mariellen is reading books on aid to Rwanda in order to prepare for PBI discussions on development, and Mark is reading scholarship on post-genocide trauma in Rwanda and how hope factors into healing from genocide-induced trauma.  Many thanks to Kelly and Mark for creating this blog that allows us to share our experiences!  And special thanks to Marianne O'Brien, Office Administrator for the School of Sciences and Social Sciences for all of her warmth and support. And most of all I want to thank the staff at Never Again Rwanda for making this trip a reality; we can't wait to visit and work with you!  

Mariellen Breton: Bio

Hello there! My name is Mariellen Breton, and I’m a junior at Keene State College. I plan on getting my B.A in Sociology with a minor in both Criminal Justice Studies and Substance Abuse and Addictions. I plan on getting either my Masters in Social Work or Sociology, while incorporating the Peace Corps into my studies to help give me a hands on experience for a few years and really open my eyes to the world around me. Following my Masters I hope to pursue humanitarian work or become a Social worker, hopefully working with the younger generations because they are the faces of tomorrow. Through them we can really make a difference in the lives of others.

I would not have been able to go on this trip if it weren't for Doctor Seibert and our generous donors for making this possible. Thank you again for everyone that has supported our trip and donated supplies and funds; this will truly give us an opportunity to have an impact on other’s lives, as well as make a difference in my own life. I am so excited to be given the opportunity to travel to Rwanda and learn about their beautiful culture and see how the country has worked on restoring justice and peace post-genocide. It is astonishing that a country can go through so much but still hold hope and happiness in the face of it all, this is a truly remarkable quality and I would love to know more about how we can bring their efforts of peace and reconciliation to other aspects of my line of work.  I am really excited to be able to work alongside the Peacebuilding Institute and the Rwandan University students to hear their stories and really learn from them. It is always helpful to engage in cross-cultural learning and discussions, and I really look forward to learning about Rwandan society.

Bio: Kelly Christianson

     I am a triple major, studying Elementary Education, Sociology, and Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State College. In the next few years, I plan to become a teacher in post-conflict countries after receiving a Master’s degree in Elementary Education and a Special Education certification from Keene State College. In the summer of 2013, I spent 6 weeks in Cape Town, South Africa as a study abroad student and worked at Baphumelele Children’s Home in the township of Khayelitsha. Here I created and taught an education unit on environmental sustainability. Upon returning to Keene State College, I became a global ambassador for the Global Education Office and began presenting to classes about the importance of study abroad experiences. In November, I organized and presented with the first student panel at KSC’s Biennial Symposium on “Exploring and Rethinking ‘Community’, ‘Poverty’, and ‘Structures of Power’ Through Study Away”. This spring, I have been working as a Teaching Assistant for Professor Seibert’s Rwandan Genocide senior seminar course. As part of this, I designed a lesson and presented on Dr. James Waller’s theory for perpetrator behavior to the class. 
     While in Rwanda, I expect to learn as much as I can about Rwandan society and the associated culture. In addition to traveling the country and experiencing the natural beauty of Rwanda, we will be visiting memorials for the 1994 genocide. Although this experience will be difficult, there is so much that we can learn, while looking at the positive growth that has occurred within the country since the genocide. During the Peacebuilding Institute held by Never Again Rwanda, Alex and I will be presenting Dr. James Waller's theoretical model for perpetrator behavior and facilitating a cross-cultural dialogue about the theory's implications for genocide prevention. After our group trip to Rwanda ends, I will be spending an additional three weeks living with a Rwandan family in Butare. In those three weeks, I will be volunteering at L'Ecole Primaire de Butare, which is a public primary school that provides education to about 1,200 students. 

Bio: Katie Morrisette

        Hey there! My name is Katie Morrisette and I am a senior at Keene State College, double majoring in Early Childhood Education and Sociology. I am beyond grateful for this amazing opportunity to travel to the beautiful country of Rwanda. I could not ask for a better group of students and Professor to go with!
        My group has worked extremely hard to make this trip a reality. We are so thankful to everyone who has been involved in supporting our goals. Dr. Therese Seibert has been incredible, going above and beyond her duty to support our needs and to prepare us as we enter a completely new culture. We are so thankful for those who donated money and materials, such as textbooks, medical, and school supplies for our service work abroad. Your generosity is greatly appreciated! I am so excited to volunteer at a primary school in Butare, as well as at a Girls' and Boys' Orphanage.
        This trip is really going to change the way I view the world. Living in the United States, we take a lot of things for granted; things we do not think about such as access to water, food, shelter, and education. The United States is very fast paced and I feel like I am always on the go here. It will be really interesting and eye opening to experience a completely different culture from my own, where work and material prosperity is not everything. Genocide is not a topic that you can fully understand or relate to out of a textbook, you really need to talk with the people that the tragedy affected. It will be compelling to learn not only about the origins of conflict, but how their society was rebuilt and reconciled after the event.
          I am nervous about this upcoming trip, because I am stepping out of my comfort zone and entering unfamiliar territory, where I cannot speak the language or relate to the culture. However, traveling around the world will give me a unique cultural perspective that I cannot gain from staying in one place. Traveling will allow me to become globally engaged and will help me become a better educator. As a future early childhood educator, my main job will be socializing our youth. I am committed to understanding different backgrounds and establishing a culturally sensitive classroom environment. My hopes for this trip will be learning how to teach and embrace cultural diversity and how to teach children to respect individual group identity. During our time in Rwanda we are going to be taking a 2 week course, sponsored by Never Again Rwanda (NAR), which is a human rights and peace-building organization that was established in response to the 1994 genocide. The Peacebuilding Institute's main focus on social justice, conflict resolution, and reconciliation will support my academic and career goals towards providing education on tolerance towards diversity. In the fall, I hope to be teaching at a primary school and I plan to teach internationally during the summer. Thank you for your interest as we venture on this trip of a lifetime.

    

Bio: Mark Di Ianni

          Hello! My name is Mark Di Ianni and I am currently a junior at Keene State College planning to graduate a semester early with a degree in Psychology. I am grateful and humbled by the opportunity to travel to the amazing country of Rwanda. I can not express enough the gratitude I have for Dr. Therese Seibert and everyone else that has made this trip a possibility for me. The main goal I have in making this trip is to learn as much as I possibly can from Rwandan culture. I am particularly interested in learning about how Rwandans have been able to reconcile and build peace since the genocide in 1994. I would like to return with an understanding of the amount of hope that Rwandans have as they move towards the future. I have been researching heavily a theory developed by a professor, Anthony Scioli, which outlines the motives and qualities that are necessary to develop hope within an individual. I am also excited to help out those who are in need by bringing donated supplies and by taking the knowledge I gain about Rwandan culture and teaching others here in America in order to dissolve the false notions many people have about cultures other than our own. 
        I have traveled a lot throughout my life and I believe it to be one of the most important experiences that anyone can participate in. I have been to many European countries as well as traveled around the U.S., but I believe the experience of traveling to Rwanda will be a very new and interesting endeavor compared to my past traveling experience. By leaving my comfort zone and traveling to interesting places like Rwanda I believe that I can gain an interesting and unique perspective on life. As a Psychologist, I believe that we construct our perceptions of reality based on our perspective. This perspective can be narrowed and limited by not leaving our comfort zone. By gaining many new and interesting perspectives I believe that we can become enriched as individuals. I will personally be able to use the enrichment that I gain from my experience in Rwandan to help other people as I continue towards a career in counseling psychology. I also expect to learn new languages, to learn about reconciliation and peace building, and to learn how to become a more globally engaged citizen in a world heading closer and closer towards globalization. 

Bio: Alexander Habibi

Muraho! My name is Alex Habibi and I'm a junior at Keene State College.  I'm pursuing two degrees, a B.A. in Holocaust & Genocide Studies and a B.A. in European History.  My immediate goal following graduation is to either serve in the Peace Corps or teach English as a foreign language.  Eventually, I aim to serve as a Foreign Service Officer in the State Department.  During our stay in Rwanda, I expect to learn not only about the roots and origins of conflict, but also how a society rebuilds and reconciles.  I studied for a semester in Cape Town, South Africa in 2013 so comparing and contrasting the process of reconciliation in post-apartheid South Africa and the reconciliation process in Rwanda following the genocide will be fascinating.  I'm excited to learn with Rwandans my age at the Peacebuilding Institute that is facilitated by Never Again Rwanda.  Working with an NGO and Rwandans on understanding conflict and its resolution will provide great practical experience while preparing me to pursue a career in international relations. Understanding different worldviews and cultural perspectives is crucial in eliminating some of the assumptions and biases we all have about different cultures.  I'm approaching this trip with an open and humble mindset as there are fundamental limitations that I will have in understanding Rwandan society and culture. This is due to a myriad of factors; not understanding the language, my whiteness, and the fact that I am coming from the United States are just a few examples.  Knowing that I am arriving in relative ignorance will make me all the more inquisitive and open minded.

Having confidence in my education regarding conflict is due to the fact that Keene State has the only Bachelor's program in Holocaust & Genocide Studies in the United States.  The faculty here have given me the educational foundation to feel confident travelling to Rwanda.  Dr. Seibert has been a great leader and has worked tirelessly in supporting us.  I do not know many professors who would take time from their work and personal lives in order to give students an opportunity like this.  I'd also like to graciously extend my thanks to the many donors who have provided material donations for our service work and financial contributions that have lowered our travel costs.  The amount of support we have received has helped us not only financially,but by knowing that we have support our morale has been boosted.  I plan on making the most of this opportunity that was provided to me by representing Keene State and the United States in a dignified, positive manner.