Outreach Activities.
Humanitarian Aid for Srebrenicia
In the summer of 2019, after my freshman year at Clemson, I traveled abroad for a month and a half with a small group of Clemson Students to study post conflict societies, nationalism, and ethnic conflict in the Balkan region of Eastern Europe. One of the emphases of the trip was an exploration of the political and cultural events that led to a horrific genocide that devastated Srebrenica, a small town in Bosnia & Herzegovina, in 1995. After the genocide, residents fled from the town by the thousands, and it remains severely economically and culturally depressed today. We paid a visit to Srebrenica, toured the small village and gravesites of the 8,000 men and boys killed during the event, met with survivors, and even spoke to students who believe the event never occurred at all. Through these conversations, we witnessed firsthand the tensions that the people of the Balkans are still working through.
These experiences inspired Clemson students to design a Creative Inquiry program with the aim of providing humanitarian aid to promote ethnic reconciliation in the Balkans, focusing specifically on Srebrenica. Accordingly, each year, Clemson students raise money to purchase school supplies for elementary school aged students in Srebrenica to be distributed by the study abroad program. When I traveled abroad in the summer of 2019, I hand-delivered backpacks and school supplies to elementary aged children in Srebrenica. When I came home from the trip, my fellow students and I began fundraising thousands of dollars to purchase the aid which would be delivered the subsequent year. By participating in this project, I obtained valuable experience by providing humanitarian aid as well as a new perspective on democracy building and efforts towards ethnic reconciliation.
Not only was this project important for promoting ethnic reconciliation in Srebrenica and helping its citizens overcome its scars, this project educated Clemson students by providing us with an opportunity to learn about the dynamics and history of the Balkans, as well as about the process of humanitarian aid through hands-on learning. By pursuing both sets of objectives simultaneously, our group has been able to achieve tangible change, not only abroad, but here at Clemson as well in the last several years. You can learn more about this project below.
These photos show me and other Clemson students at an elementary school in Srebrenica, Bosnia, delivering backpacks to the school children and meeting the students. The group photo depicts the children who received backpacks, and our group of Clemson students all in yellow shirts. You can also see a photo of the gravesite in Screbrenicia for the victims of the 1995 genocide. We visited the cemetery, and took a guided tour of the memorial museum, kindly given to us by a local who survived the event. Below you can see a flyer which summarizes the Humanitarian Aid project.
Clemson French Professional Society
I joined the Clemson French Professional Society during my sophomore year at Clemson, and became the president during the spring of my junior year. The French Professional society aims educate students in studying French about various international business topics, as well as connect with other French speakers, alumni, and business professionals. We host various events in which we invite guest speakers to share their experiences on various topics including study abroad trips, jobs in other countries or at multinational companies, and the affairs of the French American Chamber of Commerce.
Young Life
Young Life is a global Christian ministry which helps kids grow in their faith, get to know Jesus, and serve him. As a Young Life Leader in the Tri-County Area, I serve on a team of ten other Clemson students and together as a community of believers we lead a ministry at West Oak High School in Westminster, SC. Through events, bible studies, sports games, camp, and other adventurous and life-changing activities, we build personal relationships with West Oak students to encourage them on their walk with Christ. We invite our friends to respond to the Good News and walk with them on their journey to know Him, regardless of their response. We immerse ourselves in the community of Westminster and the school as much as we can, and strive to exemplify what it means to live for Christ. I was apart of Young Life when I was in Highschool, and I was impacted so much by this ministry that I became a leader my freshman year at Clemson. All four years were spent immersing myself in this wonderful ministry and leading alongside an incredible group of people. Below you can see some of my favorite memories shared with my teammates and our high school friends.
