I’ve participated in two faculty-led study abroad programs here at Mary Washington, UMW in Cuba and UMW in South Africa.
I chose these study abroad programs for two main reasons. First, these programs both took place during the summer term. This was extremely important to me because I am a member of the varsity women’s basketball team at Mary Washington. Being a varsity student athlete whose season spans both traditional UMW semesters meant that traditional, semester-long study abroad programs were not a possibility for me. I was not willing to give up the opportunity and experience of either study abroad or collegiate athletics, so I looked into summer programs that made it possible for me to accomplish both. The second reason as to why I chose these programs was that they had a focus on community engagement and international volunteerism. Both UMW in Cuba and UMW in South Africa were centered around engaging with the local community through acts of service, volunteering, and community activities.
For both UMW in Cuba and UMW in South Africa I took a three-credit course at UMW during the preceding spring semester. In these classes, we learned about the history, culture, and background of the country and specific area we were going to be traveling to. These courses also took into consideration that not everyone has participated in volunteer programs and especially not international volunteer programs, so we also spent time learning and discussing the ethics and guidelines of volunteerism abroad. Although both study abroad experiences had the same overall format and two-week in-country time frame, the in-country experience and volunteer work was extremely unique to the program.
For UMW in Cuba, we worked with an organization called Global Volunteers. Through Global Volunteers we set up a wide variety of volunteering activities including sewing for a women’s free market, working in a community garden, home repairs such as painting and building walls, and finally tutoring English. Having this wide range of volunteering activities allowed us to interact with local people of a variety of ages, see different aspects of the community and daily life, and be exposed to more culture as a whole. An important aspect of our projects was that the community members themselves had selected them as areas of need.
As for the UMW in South Africa program, we worked with an organization called United Planet, and specifically we worked with the United through Sports program. This program focused on using sports to make connections with school aged children in the townships. We went to six different primary schools in Port Elizabeth and taught sports such as rugby and field hockey, ran practice drills, and organized tournaments for the participating students. This type of program allowed us to volunteer with and for the same people repetitively which fostered and created incredible bonds with the kids.
Both of these trips inspired me to pursue a career that would allow me to continue paying attention to international lives. I plan to use my study abroad experiences heavily in my professional life moving forward as I hope to become an international human rights lawyer. My experiences abroad helped me not only learn and experience other cultures, but it helped me narrow down my future career path.
Jordan Pamlanye, UMW ’19