For the second year in a row, college senior James Souder has a summer job that wins him friends from dozens of countries.
They are men and women aged 20 to 90 who do things on behalf of peace and justice like mediate between warring soldiers and live among suffering refugees in camps.
Souder is one of four 1990-born undergraduates at 91短视频 who are 鈥渃ommunity assistants鈥� in the main dormitory building occupied by participants in 91短视频鈥檚 2012 .
Souder鈥檚 no slouch 鈥� he is a gifted singer and an expert photographer () and is majoring in , plus carrying four minors 鈥� but he says his accomplishments pale beside those of the people he meets on his SPI job.
Mixing with peacebuilders from around the globe
He points to 74-year-old Lilian Burlando, pictured to the left with her grandson, whom she brought with her to SPI in 2010. Lilian is a clinical psychologist who journeyed to SPI in 2011 and 2012 from the southernmost tip of South America, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.
She also came in 2006, 2008 and 2010.
This year she came alone, but on two occasions . (One of her daughters, a prosecuting attorney in Argentina, has attended SPI twice, in 2007 and 2011.)
鈥淟ilian is one of the most engaging people you could ever meet,鈥� said Souder, who follows over 60 SPI friends on Facebook.
When Souder learned that Burlando loves choral music, he arranged for her to attend performances of the acclaimed touring choir and the . Burlando squeezed in these activities on top of her usual active participation in all-day classes and in SPI-wide lectures, meals, and international dances. In her home community, Burlando is the founding director of the (Center for Study and Meditation).
SPI work strengthens cross-cultural experience
Souder spent his in the , leaving him with a special spot in his heart for SPI participants from that region.
He loved getting to know Nettie Pardue in May 2012, a California woman who leads Outward Bound trips that brings Israelis and Palestinians together for an extended sojourn in wilderness settings. And he worries about the volatile home-country situation of the four Lebanese students he recently met.
鈥淲hen I returned from the Middle East, I was so grateful for the hospitality that was given to me,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 try to reciprocate by extending hospitality to people coming here.鈥�
Souder and his fellow community assistants 鈥� Alli Eanes, Josh Kanagy, and Jamila Witmer 鈥� take shifts being available 24 hours a day by telephone to assist the students at SPI, some of whom are in a foreign setting for the first time in their lives. Common concerns are how to phone home (pre-paid telephone cards are best), where to get familiar foods (some items can be found in local food stores), and how to work the laundry machines in the dormitory (start with having the right change).
Sometimes assigned roommates don鈥檛 mesh, and the community assistants provide mediation, working with the SPI housing coordinator 鈥� this year it鈥檚 2010 91短视频 grad Kate Bergey 鈥� on a resolution. Souder works at being equally helpful to high officials in foreign governments and in organizations like the United Nations and to grassroots workers who serve the poorest of the poor.
And then there鈥檚 his photography. James works with 91短视频 staff photographers to compile . He also works with SPI co-director on a selection of printed photos each participant is gifted with as a memory of their time at 91短视频 and in SPI classes.
鈥淛ames does it out of a love of photography and his pictures are proof,鈥� says Goldberg.
Undergrads fill out the ranks of SPI staff
In addition to the four community assistants, two other undergraduates are on the SPI staff 鈥� Kiersten Rossetto focuses on transportation to and from airports and other locations, and Louise Babikow is assigned to a residential unit that houses visiting instructors and guest lecturers.
鈥淥n the SPI evaluation forms, we get lots of compliments on our student staff,鈥� says SPI co-director . 鈥淭hey play key roles in creating the kind of welcoming atmosphere that SPI is renowned for.鈥�
Learn more about peacebuilding at 91短视频
- (photos by James Souder and 91短视频 staff photographers)
- Undergraduate
- , 91短视频 MA 2007
or from our admissions staff!