Registration now open for nearly 40 SIT summer programs

If you haven’t yet begun planning for next summer, this is a great time to start.

Registration opens Wednesday, Sept. 15, for 38 SIT summer 2022 study abroad opportunities. Included are new programs that encompass art and social change in Eastern Europe; hip-hop music and decoloniality in Senegal; climate change in Jordan; peace-building and human rights in the Balkans; human trafficking in the Netherlands; food security in Italy; epidemiology in Argentina; and urban design and social justice in Spain.

“SIT has historically expanded the frontiers of international education, creating global opportunities of learning and cultural immersion for thousands of students a year across all continents,” notes SIT Dean of Faculty Dr. Said Graiouid. “The summer 2022 portfolio maintains that tradition with programs that focus on social, political, economic and scientific arenas and in diverse historical periods and geographical settings.”

Students are challenged to embrace a human-centered, comparative approach …”

SIT’s immersive programs next summer will take place in sub-Saharan Africa, the Asia Pacific region, Europe, and the Middle East/North Africa.

SIT will also once again offer virtual internships that allow undergraduates to build invaluable professional and academic experience on a range of subjects. These include two Jordan internships, in counseling and humanitarian action, and in community empowerment and climate change; women’s rights in Cameroon; education and social change in Chile; sustainability in India; public health in Kenya; human rights in Serbia; diplomacy and international relations in South Africa; and development and gender in Vietnam.

Regardless of which program they choose, says Graiouid, “students are challenged to embrace a human-centered, comparative approach in which they engage with resources and the competencies needed for the development of the skills of critical literacy, intercultural communication, and intellectual polity.”

Alix Swann, an international studies major at Spelman College, did a virtual internship on the Chile program in fall 2020 in which she worked with a women’s collective that fights street sexual harassment. Alix’s task was to teach about U.S. laws and policies on sexual harassment in the workplace and digital sexual harassment.

“Before this internship, my viewpoint was solely from a U.S. perspective, and I now no longer try to relate everything to the U.S.,” she says.

Yardena Meyerhoff, a physics and astronomy major at Whitman College, also did the Chile program, interning with the Colegio de Profesoras y Profesores de Chile to conduct a comparative analysis of Chile’s standardized testing system and the effect of standardized testing on student learning and development.

“My meetings with my internship advisor were very organic and natural and would often go in fascinating and sometimes unexpected directions. Our conversations made me think about my own experiences with education growing up in Minnesota, and how education systems around the world suffer from similar inequalities,” Yardena recalls.

SIT’s virtual language programs have also been popular during the pandemic. Language options for summer 2022 include all levels of Arabic (from Jordan); Swahili (Kenya); Hindi (India); Nepali and Tibetan (Nepal).

New SIT programs for summer 2022 are:

Argentina: Epidemiology and Healthcare Management—Through SIT’s close partnership with ISALUD, the nation’s top health university and think tank, examine urban epidemiology, health inequalities, and the challenges of managing health services and policies to expand access to healthcare.

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Czech Republic: Studio Arts—Explore photography, creative writing, or contemporary dance through an intensive arts workshop while examining debates around art, politics, and society.

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Italy: Food Security and Nutrition—Delve into sustainable agriculture on a Tuscan estate and explore how international experts are confronting challenges of food security, nutrition, and health.

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Jordan: Community Empowerment and Climate Change Internship—Gain professional experience with a UN or government agency or NGO working with youth and vulnerable groups on community empowerment and environmental sustainability.

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Netherlands: Human Trafficking, Sex Trade, and Modern Slavery in Europe—Examine diverse areas of human trafficking and the sex trade, including the relationship between sex workers and broader societies.

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Senegal: Hip-Hop, Resilience, and Black Struggles—Examine how young Africans use hip-hop to question traditional representations of Africa, imagine the continent’s future, and raise consciousness of globalization and (in)equality.

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Serbia: Transitional Justice, Human Rights, and Memory Activism Internship—Look at justice, human rights, and memory in post-conflict societies and contribute to the work of an important organization with a meaningful internship.

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Spain: Sustainable Urban Development and Social Justice—Explore the approaches Spanish cities are taking to pursue sustainable urban development within a social justice framework.

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Switzerland: Global Health and Development Policy—Compare public health systems within the framework of international and sustainable development, humanitarian action, human rights, and social justice.

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For more information about these and all SIT Study Abroad programs, visit www.studyabroad.sit.edu.

This year, eight SIT Study Abroad alumni are among twenty students selected to present their research at the prestigious Human Development Conference, which will be held online February 26-27. The annual student-led conference is sponsored by the University of Notre Dame’s Kellogg Institute for International Studies. This year’s theme is “The Future is Now: Innovative Responses to Global Adversity.” Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, all students will be presenting virtually.

“On behalf of everyone at the School for International Training (SIT), I would like to extend a heartfelt congratulations to the alumni of our programs who will participate in the prestigious 13th annual Human Development Conference at University of Notre Dame, as well as all the students from across the country, and the academic spectrum, who will have the opportunity to share their development-focused research,” said SIT President Dr. Sophia Howlett.

SIT has been a sponsor of the conference since the inaugural 2008 event. Independent research is a critical component of SIT Study Abroad’s immersive, semester-long programs, which require students to complete original fieldwork, a final presentation, and a formal research paper.

Sarah Ahmed
Psychology and Counseling
Wake Forest University
SIT India: Sustainable Development and Social Change
Research: “Breaking the Silence: Examining Mental Health Stigma, Literacy, and Access in Urban India”

My study abroad experience completely changed my academic goals! It inspired me to work in the mental health field, and starting this fall I will be starting a master’s program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I’m grateful for SIT for giving me the opportunity to know myself better, and in turn, know how to best serve those around me in purposeful and meaningful ways.

Alison Cummins
Sociology, minors in English and Creative Writing
Muhlenberg College
SIT Nepal: Development, Gender, and Social Change in the Himalaya
Research: Creating Writing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Nepal and United States Perspectives

I settled on my research topic after being sent home from abroad because of the pandemic. I felt very dejected in my own creative writing at the time and was wondering if other writers were feeling the same. Choosing to find out through sociological research, I began to craft a research project that would help me to understand how writers were dealing with the pandemic. I reached out to Nepali and American writers and was soon on the path to understanding the cultural impacts of the pandemic on creative writers in these two countries.

Katherine Fulcher
Political Science and Hispanic Studies
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
SIT Mexico: Migration, Borders, and Transnational Communities
Research: “‘A Tale of Twinned Cities’: A Comparative Analysis to Predict Potential Twinning on the US-Mexico Border”

My research looks specifically at the state of border twinning across Europe, but the implications of this research could help policymakers understand the potential for a similar process in other regions of the world, like the US-Mexico border. Following graduation, I plan to work for a year before applying for a graduate program in international relations or public policy.

Samuel Johnston
Economics and Mathematics
Willamette University
SIT Uganda: Global Development Studies
Research: “Coordination or Clustering: Logistic Estimation of Aid Fragmentation in Uganda”

I first settled on the topic during our Contemporary Global Development seminar course, where multiple guest lecturers discussed the frustrating lack of cooperation by international donors in Uganda and many other countries….After completing a primarily qualitative and literature-focused study for my SIT Independent Study Project, I decided to continue my research in a more quantitative sense for my senior thesis in economics at Willamette…In the future, I’m interested in pursuing graduate study in economics with a specific focus in development and international cooperation.

Daniel Krugman
Anthropology, minor in African Studies
Middlebury College
SIT Uganda: Global Development Studies
Research: “Survival as Solidarity: Refugee Exchange, Humanitarian Violence, and Social Cohesion in Mirieyi Settlement, Northern Uganda”

After graduation, I hope to continue to understand the dynamics of global forced migration and work towards the abolition of refuge in graduate school.

Jaran Rudd
Anthropology and Spanish
Austin College
SIT Ecuador: Development, Politics, and Languages
Research: “How Covid-19 has Deepened the Environmental Crisis Among the Kichwa: A Discourse Analysis”

I settled on this research topic after Covid-19 disrupted our study abroad experience and I began to wonder how the Kichwa community that our group visited was reacting to this pandemic. When I learned that floods and oil spills were also causing troubles for their community, I knew that I needed to look at the question of development to make sense of this unique situation…I hope to pursue a PhD in anthropology and continue investigating the role of international financial institutions, NGOs, and the political-economic power of language across multiple cultural contexts.

Noah Stanton
Public Health and History, minors in Anthropology and Chinese
Vanderbilt University
SIT India: Public Health, Gender, and Community Action
Research: Mother Nature Meets Modern Woman: An Exploration of Environment, Gender, and Urbanism Amongst Delhi’s Middle Class

I decided on my research topic after reading a book called “Ecofeminism” by Vandana Shiva, a renowned Indian activist….India’s fascinating history of rapid development and urbanization, coupled with its unique cultural ties to nature, inspired me to explore the Ecofeminism framework in the context of women in Delhi. Since departing from India, I have become much more focused on issues of women’s health, international development, and environmental justice; this shift has informed my job search as I look to work with a global health NGO after I graduate this May.

Liz Williams
Political Science and Sociology
University of Tulsa
SIT Senegal: Global Security and Religious Pluralism
Research: Thiéboudienne: A Look into the Intersection of Cuisine and Community in Senegal

The emphasis placed on decolonial thinking [during my SIT program] by both students and faculty alike has forever changed my perception of academia. The lessons I learned in Senegal and throughout my research process impact the interactions I have with systems and institutions daily. I am now better equipped to understand my positionality as a student and researcher and how my disciplines operate within the Western gaze. I intend to take this knowledge with me to law school and continue to challenge colonial ways of thinking and operating.

After studying in Africa, “I came back to the U.S. all fired up”

Janessa Goldbeck, LGBTQ ex-Marine captain and a first-time U.S. Democratic candidate in one of the most hotly contested congressional elections of 2020, says her time studying abroad with SIT’s Uganda: Global Development Studies showed her how to face enormous challenges – and overcome them.

The experience, she says, changed her life and set her on a career path that took her straight to Washington, even before she graduated from university. “My time in Uganda taught me how we can all have a role not just in changing the country, but in changing the world,” says the 34-year-old. “I came back to the U.S. all fired up.”

In 2005, when Goldbeck went to Africa, she had never studied abroad before. “I had been backpacking in Europe but this was completely different,” she says. “SIT had us doing some fieldwork in western Uganda. We were dropped off in pairs in a remote village where many of the kids had never seen a white person before, and told to help plan to build a well.”

My time in Uganda taught me how we can all have a role not just in changing the country, but in changing the world.

The undertaking proved extremely difficult. “We went in with solutions instead of asking questions and really hearing what these communities needed,” she says. “I learned the best way to get something done was to actually listen and then work to amplify people’s voices. That lesson really stuck with me.”

An excursion to a neighboring country led by SIT also led to a pivotal moment. “In Rwanda, we visited a genocide memorial, and that’s where I heard about what was happening in Darfur,” Goldbeck says. “It was a huge memorial, with the words ‘never again’ painted on the wall, but in Sudan, not far away, atrocities were still happening.”

After returning to the U.S., Goldbeck, while still a student at Northwestern University, began traveling to Washington to lobby against war crimes in Darfur as a human-rights activist. “My time in Uganda taught me that the U.S. could have a role in stopping genocide,” she says.

It was the first time I saw people who lived in fear, and I saw how important it was to stand up for LGBTQ rights.

Her time in Africa also opened her eyes to the perils overseas of being LGBTQ. “When I was over there, I wasn’t out yet,” she says. “I didn’t feel a lot of pressure in the U.S., but in Uganda, it was illegal to be LGBTQ. One of the other students in our program was gender-fluid, so we found a safe place, a coffeehouse, to go to. It was the first time I saw people who lived in fear, and I saw how important it was to stand up for LGBTQ rights.”

Following graduation, and for the next several years, Goldbeck directed high-level advocacy and media campaigns focused on the prevention of mass atrocities in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Myanmar – much of it inspired by her experiences with SIT. She also worked to mobilize U.S. citizens to pass state and federal legislation to fund peacekeeping efforts, enforce sanctions, and protect civilians around the world.

“What SIT’s sustainable development program taught me was so key. I learned that there are good and bad ways to offer aid and create programs that might help people, but unequivocally, we can say that investing in our allies and partners, even in unstable nations, is one of the best ways we can offer global change.”

Goldbeck notes that while a lot of Americans believe the U.S. spends exorbitantly on foreign aid, “it’s actually less than 1 percent of our entire national budget,” she says. “It’s an investment in our partners and allies to make sure they have options, that instead of turning into extremist groups, they can have a better life, attend schools, have health care, learn how to turn sunlight into energy, safeguard their water and sanitation – all of those are in the interests of America and our allies.”

In 2012, she was named to the “99 under 33” a project of Diplomatic Courier magazine, which ranked the 99 most influential foreign policy leaders under age 33. That year, Goldbeck took a 4,200-mile solo cross-country bicycle ride across the U.S., meeting with elected officials, civic leaders, nonprofits, and members of the media to focus national attention on how international development keeps America safe.

What SIT’s sustainable development program taught me was so key. I learned that there are good and bad ways to offer aid and create programs that might help people …

In 2012, the Encinitas, Calif., native also went to Officer Candidates School in Quantico, VA, joining the U.S. Marine Corps. During her time in training, she participated in a government study that allowed women to volunteer for combat courses, ending the repeal of the Combat Exclusion Policy and leading to the integration of women in military combat, which opened up all jobs to military women.

Goldbeck served in the United States, Norway, and Romania. In 2016, she was promoted to the rank of captain and also served as a Uniform Victim Advocate, representing service members who had experienced sexual assault. As President Donald Trump was elected to office, she watched his inauguration from a chow hall in Romania with American allies, where she worked to support NATO operations, engaging in live fire training exercises. “Our relationships abroad are so important,” she says. “These are my brothers and my sisters.” Before leaving active duty in fall 2019 to run for Congress, she was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

These are exciting times for Goldbeck as she runs for a congressional seat in the 53rd district in California, which includes eastern San Diego and the eastern suburbs, where she recently bought her first home. Goldbeck says she is the product of America’s progressive policies: “My mom was a public school teacher my dad drove a tow truck. My time with SIT in Africa was funded by Northwestern’s private grants program, an endowment. I bought my home with a VA loan [a mortgage backed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs]. All of these things are the direct result of progressive policies that allow people access to upward mobility. And they have given me the ability to make my life.”

I think when you serve in the military, which is a working-class institution, you see so many people join the Marine Corps to better their prospects, to own a home, go to college and have health care.

If elected, Goldbeck says she plans to continue to fight to improve Americans’ lives. “I think when you serve in the military, which is a working-class institution, you see so many people join the Marine Corps to better their prospects, to own a home, go to college and have health care,” she says. “These are things that are really universal for people across the county.”

She also believes in fighting climate change. “I learned on the Hill that veterans are very effective messengers on the environment and public lands are very popular across partisan lines. It taught me that you always can do things to move the needle, even when you’re dealing with forces opposed to conservation or tackling the climate crisis.”

Goldbeck is running against more than a dozen other candidates in California, including Sara Jacobs, the granddaughter of Qualcomm billionaire Irwin Jacobs, a deep-pocketed Democrat who has spent millions on elections. But with a recent endorsement from VoteVets, a political action committee representing U.S. veterans, and a splashy article in BuzzFeed News just after announcing her candidacy, Goldbeck has already shown she can stand out in a crowded field.

“I was an openly gay progressive woman in one of the most conservative organizations in America and I was still able to be effective and successful and liked by my peers,” she says. “I also think that as a Marine Corps officer leading sometimes hundreds of people under her charge is invaluable experience for anyone running an effective office on the Hill. I know how to pass bills and I think it’s important to have more veterans in Congress.” Only seven women veterans now serve in Congress.

Even so, Goldbeck knows the rush to fill the congressional seat vacated by California Democrat Susan Davis — who announced in 2018 that she would not be seeking re-election, will not be easy. After Davis’s nearly 30 years in office, her abrupt departure has triggered a free-for-all in the lead-up to the March primary. Goldbeck says she recently had the opportunity to speak with Davis and received some advice that echoed the lessons she had learned at SIT. “My congresswoman told me the most important job for a member of Congress is to listen and to be present, and to allow people’s voices to be heard,” she says.

Meet our Global and Low-Residency program chairs to find the MA that’s right for you

This new SIT webinar series presents a great opportunity to learn about SIT’s Global and Low-Residency master’s degree programs.  

Global Programs Webinar: Wednesday, January 8 – 9 a.m. (Eastern U.S.) with Dr. Joe Lanning (MA in Development Practice) and Dr. Richard Walz (MA in Climate Change & Global Sustainability)

Low-Residency Programs Webinar: Friday, January 17 – 12 p.m. (Eastern U.S.) with Dr. Bruce Dayton (MA in Peace and Justice Leadership) and Dr. Udi Butler (MA in Sustainable Development)

Global Programs Webinar: Tuesday, January 21 – 12 p.m. (Eastern U.S.) with Dr. Bruce Dayton (MA in Diplomacy & International Relations) and Dr. Sora Friedman (MA in International Education)

Low-Residency Programs Webinar: Wednesday, January 22 – 4 p.m. (Eastern U.S. ) with Dr. Leslie Turpin (MA in TESOL) and Dr. Sora Friedman (MA in International Education)

Global Programs Webinar: Monday, January 27 – 9 a.m. (Eastern U.S.) with Dr. Steve Wandiga & Dr. Azim Khan (MA in Global Health, Administration & Management) and Dr. Bayan Abdulhaq (MA in Humanitarian Assistance & Crisis Management)

Dr. Cheikh Thiam will lead SIT’s large and diverse portfolio of sub-Sahara programs

BRATTLEBORO, Vermont – Dr. Cheikh Thiam, academic director for SIT Study Abroad in Senegal, will become SIT academic dean for Africa South of the Sahara starting Jan. 1, 2020, School for International Training announced today.

Thiam co-leads SIT Study Abroad programs in Senegal focused on global security and religious pluralism, and designed a pioneering undergraduate program that explores how hip-hop artists and cultural influencers are redefining Africa’s future. “I am looking forward to taking on this expanded role at SIT, while drawing from my research examining collective imaginations of being and identity in Africa and the African diaspora in the colonial and postcolonial era,” said Thiam, who has directed study abroad programs in Senegal for the past 10 years.

As academic dean, Thiam will lead one of the broadest portfolios of programs in Africa of any U.S. institution. SIT’s multidisciplinary portfolio of accredited undergraduate programs covers nine sub-Saharan countries and encompasses subjects such as biodiversity and wildlife management, multiculturalism and human rights, health policy and social transformation, and even offers a journalism program. Several of SIT’s Global MA programs also have components based in Africa, including climate change in Tanzania, humanitarian assistance in Uganda, global health in Kenya, and international diplomacy in South Africa.

Cheikh’s outstanding scholarship and network of relationships across Africa and the United States, combined with his passion for student-centered study abroad classrooms, make him an outstanding addition to our leadership team.

—  SIT President Dr. Sophia Howlett

Thiam brings to his new role a strong background in U.S. higher education. He has an MA and a PhD in comparative literature from Binghamton University, an MA in French from the University of Provence in Aix-en-Provence, as well as a BA from Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar. He served as associate professor of African American studies, African studies, and French at The Ohio State University. He is the author of “Return to the Kingdom of Childhood: Re-envisioning the Legacy and Philosophical Relevance of Negritude,” published by Ohio State University Press in 2014.

Thiam also was the editor of Negritude Reloaded, a special issue of Journal on African Philosophy, an associate editor of Research in African Literatures, and has published widely in literature and philosophy journals such as Ethiopiques, West Africa Review, La Revue Africaine, La Revue du Graat, French Review, Research in African Literature, Dalhousie French Review, and Journal on African Philosophy. He recently completed a second book manuscript, “Epistemologies from the South: Negritude, Modernity, and the Idea of Africa.”

In announcing his appointment, SIT President Dr. Sophia Howlett said, “Cheikh’s outstanding scholarship and network of relationships across Africa and the United States, combined with his passion for student-centered study abroad classrooms, make him an exceptional addition to our leadership team.”

Thiam will join Howlett’s Council of Deans, a group that oversees SIT’s undergraduate programs, the SIT Graduate Institute, and SIT’s stable of more than 80 study abroad programs in Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, Latin America, and the International Honors Program.

Thiam succeeds Dr. Daniel Lumonya, who has served as academic dean for the region since August 2015. Prior to that time, Lumonya was SIT academic director in Uganda. Lumonya completed his PhD in development sociology at Cornell University. “I have had the chance to work with Cheikh on our evolving programs in the region and I welcome the depth of experience he brings to this position,” Lumonya said.

Lumonya is leaving to pursue a career in research, teaching and community service from his country, Uganda. “I want to thank Dan for his dedicated work and stellar contributions to SIT, both as an academic director and dean,” Howlett said. “We will all miss him.”

Shaylah Nichols will develop a girls empowerment program

BRATTLEBORO, Vermont – Shaylah Nichols, an alumna of SIT Study Abroad in Uganda, is the newest Alice Rowan Swanson Fellow, the School for International Training announced today. Nichols plans to return to Uganda in May 2020 to establish an empowerment program for girls and young women in Kisenyi, a marginalized community in Kampala.

“My interest in developing this project began during my SIT internship at an organization called Raising Up Hope for Uganda (RUHU), a childcare institution that provides alternative care to former street children through education and empowerment,” said Nichols, a 2018 Syracuse University graduate who majored in human development and family studies. Nichols studied abroad on SIT Uganda: Global Development Studies in spring 2017.

By providing psychosocial support, we are creating mentally and emotionally stable women capable of caring for themselves and each other.

Although RUHU currently conducts outreach for street children and operates a rehabilitation program, the program is mainly targeted toward young boys, Nichols said. Her program, Muwala Mulungi (which translates to “beautiful girls” in Luganda) will start with a group of 10 girls between the ages of 12 and 21.

The program will operate three days a week, facilitated by a Ugandan social worker. It will also offer support for basic needs including shelter, food, clothing, and women’s health products “so the women can focus on their journey towards self-actualization without worrying about where their next meal is going to come from,” Nichols said.

“Many women who live on the streets of Uganda are more susceptible to gender-based violence, poor health conditions, and inaccessibility to education,” Nichols wrote in her fellowship application. “During this project, I will work with RUHU to identify a variety of options for the young women to pursue, such as trade schools, apprenticeships, or employment. …

“By giving women access to knowledge and opportunity, we are assisting them in becoming the leaders of tomorrow. Lastly, by providing psychosocial support, we are creating mentally and emotionally stable women capable of caring for themselves and each other.”

Dr. Charlotte Mafumbo, academic director of SIT Uganda: Global Development Studies, said psychosocial support is often neglected by other programs, which focus on helping the women and girls find work or vocational education.

There is “an extreme lack of resources to support their mental health,” Mafumbo noted. “Uganda has only 11 qualified psychiatrists and is wholly dependent on other means of support that are often very expensive and not accessible.” She said Nichols’ project will augment other programs.

The Alice Rowan Swanson Fellowship was established in 2009 by the family of SIT Study Abroad Nicaragua 2006 alumna Alice Rowan Swanson as a living tribute to her life, her desire to bridge cultures and help others, and the role that SIT Study Abroad played in her life. A 2007 graduate of Amherst College, Alice was killed while riding her bicycle to work in 2008.

The program awards fellowships twice annually to SIT Study Abroad and IHP alumni to return to their program country to pursue human rights projects.

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SIT Study Abroad is a fully accredited study abroad provider that works with some 200 colleges and universities to send more than 2,200 undergraduate students abroad each year on about 80 semester and summer programs on all seven continents. In these programs, students step beyond the boundaries of a traditional classroom to analyze the critical issues shaping local communities around the globe.

Jean Pierre obtained a BA in management from Free University of Kigali in 2007. He has been teaching SIT students since fall 2009 and also works with a variety of expatriate clients in Kigali. His teaching career began in 1996, when he was trained by a US de-mining group who came to Rwanda to train soldiers. Jean Pierre has been a teacher of Kinyarwanda at the International Language School in Kigali since 2004. He also teaches English to Rwandan university students at the Independent Institute of Lay Adventists of Kigali and was a translator for English and Kinyarwanda for Swedish missionaries from 2004 to 2007.

Apollon is a Rwandan and Belgian national and a survivor of the Rwandan genocide. Inspired by his personal and professional experiences, Apollon is committed to a historically accurate and sensitive memorialization of Rwanda’s recent history. He was instrumental in setting up this SIT program in Rwanda.

Apollon has a background in arts, graphic design, and advertising. As Rwanda country coordinator for Aegis Trust in 2002–2003, Apollon spearheaded the concept, design, and construction of both the Kigali Memorial Centre and the Murambi Genocide Prevention Centre. He later served as Aegis Trust’s Rwanda country manager, managing the Kigali Memorial Centre and fundraising for Aegis Trust projects. Prior to this, he worked for University College of London’s Development Planning Unit and taught genocide prevention at the Beth Shalom Holocaust Centre in the United Kingdom. Apollon is founder of Survivors Funds UK, where he served as trustee and member of the organization’s management committee. He also worked as a consultant with the Campaign Against Genocide for the Rwandan Parliament; as a fundraiser with the Austria Development Agency Gacaca documentation project; and as a coordinator with Human Remains Preservation, a joint project between Cranfield University and the Rwandan government.

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A Rwandan citizen, Celine Mukamurenzi joined SIT Study Abroad in 2013. Before that, she worked with the Rwanda Peace Academy, a regional center of excellence in the fields of training and research related to post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding and has participated in various research projects—most related to the 1994 Rwandan genocide and its effects. She counts among her greatest passions working in a multicultural learning environment.

She holds a BA in social work from the National University of Rwanda and an MA in peace education from the United Nations Mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica. She worked as project manager with the Association for Development and Social Transformation, a local civil society organization engaged in training for social transformation in Rwanda. In 2010, Celine was awarded a fellowship with the University for Peace Great Lakes Program, where she designed and developed curricula focused on education for social transformation, and gender and peacebuilding. She later worked as a curriculum design consultant with the National University of Rwanda’s Center for Conflict Management.

In 2021, Celine was awarded the Gerda Henkel Stiftung Fellowship to pursue PhD research in religion and peace studies at Makerere University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. She serves on the board of directors for a number of civil society organizations in Rwanda where she shares her expertise in the field of peacebuilding.

Christine has a bachelor’s degree in international relations from United States International University (Nairobi-Kenya), and was a participant in the U.S. State Department’s YES program. She is a volunteer at the Organization for Intercultural Education in Nairobi helping with office operations, and has more than four years of experience with intercultural programs. Christine assists SIT with a variety of tasks including student support and program management.

Miltone is a certified public accountant who has worked with SIT Study Abroad in Kenya since 2004. He holds a graduate diploma in business administration and a degree in development studies.  Before joining the program, he worked as a research assistant for Family Care International, as part of an extensive research project on safe motherhood, and for SOS Kinderdof. As the program coordinator, Miltone assists the academic director in the day-to-day running of the program by performing various administrative duties and doubles as the student affairs coordinator. He also offers student support by organizing and leading excursions, facilitating lecture sessions, compliance, procurement, local program partnerships, and logistics. 

Dr. Abid Siraj has been engaged in teaching, research, and program management in public health in India for the past 20 years. He has also been actively involved in rights to health advocacy work. His doctoral work focused on India’s trajectory in reproductive, sexual, and child health programs with special reference to family planning and population control from beneficiaries’ perspectives and perceptions. Besides his doctorate degree, he holds a master’s degree in social work from Central University of India-Aligarh Muslim University.

Dr. Siraj has worked with SIT since 2011, first as academic coordinator and later as the academic director of a public health program. Before joining SIT, he worked for a USAID-funded project to train the village heads of local self-governments to promote reproductive and child health in the villages of Aligarh district in Uttar Pradesh in India. District and state government officials have praised his work as the manager of a community-based distribution project of family planning methods for achieving the family planning targets and implementing a choice-based contraceptives program with the help of community volunteers.

Dr. Abid was part of a team that did pioneering work in thethe ‘National Rural Health Missio, the largest public health program initiated by the government of India in 2005. His proposed initiative for an emergency helpline for safe delivery to ensure the timely shifting of pregnant mothers to the nearest hospital was adopted in various states.

Applications open Sept. 15

With undergraduates’ schedules in full swing for the new academic year, it’s not too soon to start thinking about how to make the most of summer 2019. Imagine snorkeling in one of the world’s top diving sites as you study marine ecology in Panama, building career skills with an internship at an NGO in Vietnam, exploring Madagascar’s extraordinary natural environment to learn about traditional medicine, or learning Arabic in Jordan or Morocco.

Those are just some of the many opportunities available through School for International Training (SIT). During summer 2019, SIT Study Abroad is offering 23 programs in 17 countries that will appeal to a wide range of majors and interests, including five skills-building internship opportunities.

Like all SIT Study Abroad programs, each summer program offers academic rigor and an immersive cultural experience within the framework of at least one critical global issue. Applications for these programs open September 15.

New to the SIT Student Abroad summer portfolio this year are:

Colombia: Building a Culture of Peace – Integrate peace studies with Colombia’s cultures through music, dance, and food from the program base in the vibrant, multicultural Caribbean Coast city of Cartagena, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Vietnam: Nongovernmental Organization Internship – Learn about development and the roles of nongovernmental organizations engaged in social change through this guided internship, which also includes lectures and site visits. Customize this program based on your areas of interest.

SIT summer programs, sorted according to themes, are:

Climate | Environment

Iceland: Renewable Energy, Technology, and Resource Economics  

Indonesia: Biodiversity and Conservation in Bali and Borneo  

Jordan: Engineering and Design for Sustainable Environments  

Nepal: Geoscience in the Himalaya  

Panama: Marine Ecology & Blue Carbon Conservation in the Pacific & Caribbean  

Tanzania: Climate Change and Sustainability, Mount Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar

Development | Economy | Inequality

India: Agroecology and Food Security in the Himalaya  

Panama: Community and Nongovernmental Organizations Internship  

Vietnam: Nongovernmental Organization Internship

Global Health

China: Community Health and Traditional Chinese Medicine  

India: Traditional Medicine and Healthcare Practices

Jordan: Counseling and Humanitarian Action Internship  

Kenya: Public Health in the Tropics Internship  

Madagascar: Traditional Medicine and Healthcare Systems  

Switzerland: Food Security and Nutrition

Media | Arts | Social Change

Argentina: Art, Memory, and Social Transformation

Migration | Identity | Resilience

Jordan: Intensive Arabic Language Studies  

Morocco: Arabic Language and Community Service  

Peace | Human Rights | Social Movements

Colombia: Building a Culture of Peace  

South Africa: Education and Social Change  

South Africa: Social Justice and Activism Internship  

Switzerland: International Studies and Multilateral Diplomacy  

Uganda and Rwanda: Peace and Conflict Studies in the Lake Victoria Basin

Visit our website for more information on these and all of SIT’s immersive, experiential study abroad opportunities.

BRATTLEBORO, Vermont – Responding to one of the most critical global issues of the 21^st century, School for International Training has introduced a groundbreaking new master’s degree that brings students face to face with real-world challenges and solutions to the crises that have displaced more than 68 million people worldwide.

SIT Graduate Institute is now accepting applications for the fully accredited MA in Humanitarian Assistance and Crisis Management, which launches in fall 2019. This one-year program takes place entirely abroad, with students studying in Jordan and Uganda, countries that together host nearly three million refugees but take starkly different approaches to the issue. Students will also travel to Geneva, Switzerland, to meet with international leaders of organizations that address refugee policy and management.

The new MA builds on SIT’s expertise in experiential-based learning and hands-on training in global settings, said Dr. Sophia Howlett, president of SIT.

“This global master’s degree in Humanitarian Assistance and Crisis Management redoubles SIT’s commitment to justice and humanity by shaping leaders capable of mobilizing effective responses and better solutions to the plight of disaster-stricken populations,” said Dr. Howlett. “By immersing students in real-world humanitarian responses, our mission is to shape a generation of leaders equipped with the ethics, competencies, and passion to lead principled, effective, and innovative humanitarian solutions around the globe.”

The program is one of a range of globally focused master’s degrees offered by SIT Graduate Institute, a leader in global education and a pioneer in fields such as language learning, international education, and peace and conflict studies.

Last year, under Dr. Howlett’s leadership, SIT introduced a global master’s degree format, taught in SIT centers abroad, in which students take courses from top academics and meet with experts in the field. The new format draws upon SIT’s extensive global resources, including locally based faculty and staff who also work with more than 200 U.S. colleges and universities to provide undergraduate study abroad programs on seven continents. Twelve of these programs focus on migration, and others address migration within the context of other critical global issues.

Dr. Ken Williams, dean of SIT Graduate Institute, said this new MA responds to the growing need for a cross-cultural approach to humanitarian crises. “This groundbreaking program takes students on a journey to Jordan and Uganda to examine the creative methods used by local and global organizations to address the challenges faced by millions of people,” he said.

Students will spend the fall semester in Jordan, which hosts millions of refugees and displaced populations from Palestine, Iraq, and Syria, many living in refugee camps. There, during emergency, post-emergency, and resettlement phases, students will have firsthand exposure to the humanitarian response of UN agencies including the UN High Commission for Refugees, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, World Health Organization, and the United Nation’s International Children’s Emergency Fund.

During the second semester in Uganda, students will witness one of the most progressive refugee protection policies in the world. As the largest refugee-serving country in Africa, Uganda hosts more than 1.35 million refugees primarily from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Somalia. During their third and final semester, SIT students will carry out a practicum at a refugee-serving agency in one of the two countries.

“As someone with over 30 years of humanitarian experience, I know that skilled and thoughtful management of crises and disasters is sorely needed,” said Abby Maxman, president and CEO of Oxfam America and an alumna of SIT Graduate Institute. “We live in a time with unprecedented numbers of people displaced from their homes around the globe, and with a tragically steady stream of emergencies coming at us through conflict, disease, famine, and natural events, many significantly worsened by climate change. This new SIT program responds to a global demand for compassionate, highly competent professionals.”

Dr. Bayan Abdulhaq, SIT’s Amman-based chair of the new program, said students will have an unparalleled opportunity to become immersed in real-world humanitarian responses to disaster-stricken populations. “This global humanitarian assistance master’s degree equips students with an expert understanding of the challenges facing today’s humanitarian action leaders and offers a global perspective on humanitarian response and crisis management,” she said.

The 36-credit MA is designed to prepare students for careers in a wide range of fields, including human rights, humanitarian aid and relief, international relations, development, nonprofit and NGO management, monitoring and evaluation, international law, public health, and gender equity.

Read more about this program.

SIT Study Abroad Programs

• IHP: Social Innovation: Entrepreneurship, Design, and Development
• Uganda and Rwanda: Peace and Conflict Studies in the Lake Victoria Basin (Summer)
• Uganda: Global Development Studies

SIT Graduate Programs

• Humanitarian Assistance and Crisis Management (Jordan and Uganda)

SIT Study Abroad Programs

• IHP: Social Innovation: Entrepreneurship, Design, and Development
• Uganda and Rwanda: Peace and Conflict Studies in the Lake Victoria Basin (Summer)
• Uganda: Global Development Studies

SIT Graduate Programs

• Humanitarian Assistance and Crisis Management (Jordan and Uganda)