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Brandeis Summers Abroad

Hannah Janoowalla (top, second from left), Ethics Center Student Fellow in Mumbai, India

With new funding, Brandeis students make an international effort

There are many different ways to take advantage of all the international connections and opportunities Brandeis offers, especially during the summer months. With help of new funding for internships and fellowships at Brandeis, these students took a step closer to their dreams of changing the world. Here are some students who have great stories to tell when people ask them, "Hey, what did you do this summer?"

"I ran theater workshops in Costa Rica"

"I worked at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo"

"I helped local women set up a sewing cooperative in Rwanda"

"I worked on AIDS prevention in Mumbai"

"I worked for Voice of America in Beijing"

"I taught at a Palestinian university in Jerusalem"

Timothy Pracher-Dix

'09 Theater Arts
Louis D. Brandeis Social Justice Award Recipient

"I never thought that I would have the chance to do workshops in a prison outside of San Jose and with a group of indigenous peoples in Costa Rica, helping them learn how to peacefully resolve their problems and express themselves through theater.

I am working with Dramatic Problem Solving, a community-based theater group based outside of San Jose, Costa Rica. We work with various disadvantaged communities and help them educate themselves about the issues that affect their lives and how they can change their situation for the better." 

Learn more about Timothy's experience on his blog. 

Learn more about the Louis D. Brandeis Social Justice Fellowship. 

Alysha Bedig

'09 Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies/Politics
Hiatt WOW Fellow

"After spending the spring semester studying abroad in Amman, Jordan, I moved to Egypt for an internship in the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, the largest permanent U.S. mission overseas. Though entering the diplomatic community was a bit of an American culture shock, I couldn't be happier with my job thus far. I am managing the itineraries of visiting artists and scholars, preparing briefing materials for the Ambassador for her various meetings and monitoring Egyptian press coverage of embassy events and personnel. In addition, I am working on creating a presentation on the U.S. electoral system for use as a public diplomacy tool when speaking about the upcoming Presidential elections to Egyptian audiences.

My favorite tasks have been those outside of the Embassy: I had the opportunity to participate in an outreach delegation to Upper Egypt in order to identify areas of potential cooperation on development initiatives. I am grateful to be working in the embassy environment, as it has exposed me to a variety of people from different areas of the government--many of my coworkers have just come back from, or are soon going, to serve in Iraq in either a military or diplomatic capacity. While my semester in Jordan allowed me to see some of the effects of our foreign policy decisions on the local population, my time here has helped me to understand the ongoing American sacrifice that has been sustaining the war effort. Though some aspects of this experience have been sobering, my respect and interest in the Foreign Service has definitely been renewed. I highly recommend the State Department's embassy internship program, especially as a way to extend your abroad experience and see your region of study in a new light." 

Learn more about Study Abroad at Brandeis. 

Learn more about the Hiatt World of Work (WOW) Fellowship Program.

Margot Moinester

'09 Health: Science, Society and Policy
Davis Projects for Peace Award Winner

"I work with INEZA, which is under the auspices of Women's Equity in Access to Care and Treatment (WE-ACTx) in Kigali, Rwanda. WE-ACTx is an international community-based organization with the primary goal to increase access to HIV testing, care, treatment, support, education, and training.

Through artistic and capacity building initiatives, I have been working in Rwanda with the women of INEZA towards actualizing their expressed goal of transitioning into a fully independent sewing and craft cooperative that is organized by women, for women battling HIV/AIDS.  Our collective vision is that through these initiatives the women of INEZA will learn the necessary skills and information to work towards greater economic security in the hope of achieving longer and healthier lives for themselves and their families.  

It has been an incredible honor to be welcomed into the homes and lives of these twenty-five women and to work closely with them to deconstruct their environment and develop multilateral approaches to address many of the barriers they are facing in their struggle for economic viability.  I am truly awed by the women of INEZA, by their strength and resilience to persevere in the face of hardship.  Thanks to the Davis Foundation and its generous financial support, we have had the opportunity this summer to the lay the foundation for INEZA's long journey towards achieving economic sustainability."

Learn more about Margot's project. 

Hannah Janoowalla

'10 Biology and Politics
Ethics Center Student Fellow

"I'm working for Population Services International (PSI) on AIDS prevention initiatives with drug users and sex workers in Mumbai, India. I began in the brothels, which is where I met an HIV-positive girl who became a prostitute at age 12. I thought the brothels would seem familiar after watching several movies about them, but you can't smell and feel the air in a movie. You can't see the rats and rabid dogs. My current focus at PSI is in the IDU (Injecting Drug Users) program. Right now I'm working on creating training modules for counselors, interpersonal communicators and other outreach workers who work with IDUs in harm reduction, opioid substitution therapy and rehabilitation. I also go into the field and work with the drug users directly, talking to them when they are high, injecting, in withdrawal, or any other state. The monsoons have arrived, too. I love the rain and everything is still so alive. I love this country so much."

Learn more about Ethics Center Student Fellowships. 

Eli Harrington

'09 International and Global Communications and Media
Hiatt WOW Fellow

"This summer I am fortunate to be interning at Voice of America's Beijing Bureau. This has been an amazing opportunity, fully encompassing my academic experience at Brandeis in IGS-Communication & Media with practical work experience in journalism.

My first few days in the office were spent doing background research for an upcoming press event at the US Embassy about a joint US-Chinese PR campaign, spear-headed by an international NGO called WildAid that was trying to raise awareness for illegal wildlife trafficking in the US and China, the two countries with the largest illegal wildlife trafficking problem, respectively.  This research assignment really allowed me to immerse myself in all the related information for a specific topic and see how all the different angles for potential stories and how they could be crafted.  I was told that I would be able to accompany a reporter to the US embassy for the actual press conference.  The press conference was an invaluable learning experience for any student with international journalism aspirations.  The conference itself was formal and almost surreal. The highlights: brief speeches and Q&A from the US Asst. Secretary of Oceans and Wildlife, the head of WildAid, and special celebrity spokeswoman and animal trafficking spokeswoman Bo Derek.  I've since been researching a number of other projects and potential multimedia stories as we gear up for the Olympic Games."

Learn more about the Hiatt World of Work (WOW) Fellowship Program.

Lydia Fash

PhD candidate, English and American Literature
Distinguished International Teaching Fellow

"Through the partnership between Brandeis and Al-Quds University, I went to Jersusalem to consult on pedagogy and to aid with curriculum development. Another graduate student and I spent five weeks teaching and working with the English teaching faculty at a Palestinian university very close to Jerusalem.  Despite the difficulties of scheduling workshops during a time when faculty (who were teaching full course loads) could and did attend on a campus where classrooms are in high demand, we ran three successful sessions on (1) Theories of Teaching English as a Foreign Language, (2) Using Technology in the Classroom, and (3) Discussion Leading.  During our last day on campus, one of the teachers told me that she was implementing the techniques she had learned during the workshops and that both she and the students were enjoying the class more.  It made me feel great."

Learn more about the partnership between Brandeis and Al-Quds University.

Learn more about some of the many great (and free) online resources for learning English at Lydia's blog.