By Brittney Bruner
During the summer months while most University of Louisville students were soaking up the sun, taking summer classes or punching the clock, some were doing humanitarian work and learning how to promote stronger political awareness. Though not as glamorous as a beach vacation or as profitable as a summer job, these students reaped benefits that they shared with communities both near and far with their humanitarian work in Uganda, travels to China and attendance at the Campus Progress National Student Conference in Washington D.C.
Just married in early June, Heather Collins, a graduate student at U of L working towards her Masters in Public Health, spent her honeymoon doing humanitarian work in Uganda for two weeks.
She came with the intention of “empowering local community leaders to make changes.”
Through the humanitarian team, Local and International Grassroots Humanitarian Team, that she helped to co-found, Collins, her husband, and two other professionals heavily involved with the organization took their campaign to Uganda to help improve the clean water crisis in the area.
“Our mission is to come to local and international problems at different angles,” said Collins.
Doing just that and utilizing their different skills, the team purchased two water purifiers with hopes of not only providing the Ugandan community with cleaner water, but teaching them how to stay sanitary.
“We built a relationship with the local Ugandans,” said Collins, which she thought to be the trip’s biggest success.
However, the group also succeeded in providing the local people with an “ongoing tool” to help them stay healthy and utilize their resources independently.
Collins said she found the problem not only lay deeply rooted in unsanitary water conditions but a “corrupt government, oppression, and gender equality issues” and this drove her passion to help the Ugandans find treatment.
“People have big hearts and want to help,” said Collins.
Student Government Association President Rudy Spencer also experienced an instance of people supporting each other in a time of need when he spent a month in China with U of L’s McConnell Scholars.
In China, he said he experienced the devastating earthquake and the inspiring aftermath when the nation participated in three minutes of silence to mourn the victims of the catastrophe.
“People stopped moving, cars stopped in the middle of the streets,” said Spencer. “It’s unreal to think everything in this country stopped.”
Spencer and his traveling companions also did their part to uplift the spirits of the troubled nation.
“We raised money, sent banners, signed notes and did an interview with [the local Chinese television station,]” said Spencer.
Of his many experiences, including seeing the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, the outpouring of goodwill he found was the most impressive.
In the states, U of L students were also doing their part this summer to give back to the community.
The Association of Black Students traveled to Washington D.C. in July to attend the Campus Progress National Student Conference.
At the conference, U of L was represented by five students: Tytianna Wells, Jaison Gardner, Joseph Foyah, Stephen King, Darryl Young and ABS President Demetrius Gray.
Along with students from across the country, they underwent grassroots training, learning how to promote issues on their own campuses and encourage students to vote.
The following day they heard from elected officials, including Senators John Edwards, Linda Sanchez, and Ted Kennedy as well as state senate candidate Jeff Johnson.
They even had the opportunity to see presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama and former democratic candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Gray also had a chance to chat with Senator Mitch McConnell and hear Representative John Yarmuth’s policies.
“It was a good opportunity for students to really see how the democratic system worked,” said Gray, a junior finance major. “And it was also significant for U of L to be spotlighted where elected officials are.”
Ultimately, according to Gray, the trip was a success, as it allowed U of L students to see how the conference operated, meet with elected officials regardless of their own political stance and learn how to make an organization successful.
So while some may have been napping until noon, these students can stay rest assured that they did their part this summer to give back on small and large scales.
