When students returned to campus this fall, I
began immediately to hear stories of summer experiences. With the
start of the Global Outreach (or GO) program and the continuation of the Lilly Vocational
Internship Program, 63 students participated in these two programs
in experiential learning experiences that were nothing short of
life-changing.
The 10 GO Fellows worked with non-profit groups
around the globe — five in Africa, two in Peru, and one each in
Russia, Pakistan, and Guatemala.
Created with a grant from the Todd and Abby
Williams Family Foundation of Dallas, the GO program aims to
cultivate the next generation of local, national, and global leaders
by promoting innovative, experiential servant leadership
opportunities around the world.
As a GO fellow, Holly Boerner ’09 worked
this summer at the Adana Children’s Center, an orphanage in Debre
Zeyit, Ethiopia, 45 minutes from that nation’s capital, Addis Ababa.
This was Holly’s third visit to Ethiopia as an Austin College
student. The first two trips, Holly was at the Kamashi Orphanage and
School, which serves the area of Benishangul-Gumuzone, one of
Ethiopia’s poorest regions, where there are an estimated 40,000
orphans. By working in these communities, Holly deepened her
cultural perspective of a part of the world where few students travel. She also met
successfully the challenge to view the world from a global
perspective—and from a servant leader’s heart.
The Lilly Vocational Internship Program
provides support for a wide range of internships throughout the
world, but most take place in the United States. As I visited with
one Lilly intern, Casie Luong ’10, I realized what a great
impact this type of program can have on the life of one person.
Casie is the daughter of parents who fled from Vietnam during the
war, and this summer Casie went to her parents’ home country to work
in a children’s shelter in Ho Chi Minh City.
Casie’s experience at the Little Rose Shelter
provided her the opportunity to share her gifts with children who
had suffered abuse and to contribute positively to her family’s cultural home. The shelter was
established in 1992 in response to growing incidents of human
trafficking in Vietnam. Since its founding, Little Rose has provided
a safe shelter to hundreds of young girls and continues to help them
build a positive future.
Casie taught English and music, among other
subjects, at Little Rose, and while doing this she had the
opportunity to meet relatives she had only heard about. Her parents
returned to Vietnam this summer for the first time since their
departure decades ago, and they were able to witness their
daughter’s servant leadership in action.
Austin College always has encouraged students
to step outside their comfort zone to serve, and today’s students
are no different. These are just two examples of the College’s
commitment to global understanding for all students who desire to
participate in international experiences. Ten additional students
participated in life-changing internships through our centers for
Environmental Studies and for Southwestern and Mexican Studies, as
well as our Career Study Off-Campus program.
When the 2008 graduating class walked across
the platform, we knew that 70 percent of these students had
participated in a global experience. Our alumni take great pride in
their service opportunities and their recognition of the need to
understand and participate in the solving of global problems. In
reflecting on the experiences of the students who reached out to
others this summer, I feel confident that future generations of students
will continue this great tradition at Austin College.
Service, experiential learning, and concern for
people throughout the world will be the enduring theme of the
College. As you read about Emily Austin and the celebration of the 50th anniversary of
the opening of Wynne Chapel, be reminded that our great traditions
have their roots in the vision of our founders, who were inspired by the Presbyterian Church to
reach out to the underserved and provide opportunities for service
to people throughout the world.