Expanding the Journey

Jewell students gain new perspectives and broaden their views of the world

From a west coast screenwriting workshop to the political turmoil of the West Bank of Israel, William Jewell College students had the opportunity to participate in horizon-expanding journeys over the summer months.

“We talk a lot about the journeys that our students experience during their time at Jewell,” said President David Sallee.  “In some cases, especially during the summer months, these experiences involve traveling to areas far beyond the Hill to engage in the world community.”

With the addition of the Applied Critical Thought and Inquiry major to the William Jewell curriculum last year, more students than ever before will have the opportunity to participate in study-abroad or study-away programs as part of the experiential components that the new major provides.

“We are preparing leaders for the global community,” Dr. Sallee said. “Developing those leadership skills may involve traveling to the other side of the world, or it may involve a local service-learning experience or community outreach project. The important thing is that Jewell students are immersing themselves in opportunities that will prepare them to take active roles in the broader community and to lead meaningful lives. The Jewell journey begins on our hillside campus, but it certainly doesn’t end there.”

Following are some snapshots of summer projects in which William Jewell students gained new perspectives and broadened their views of the world:

Hall Family Foundation Summer Academic Enrichment Program

The Hall Family Foundation Summer Academic Enrichment Program is a William Jewell program that provides financial support for students interested in summer academic enrichment opportunities that are not typically available on the Jewell campus. Students complete a competitive funding application for individual awards of up to $5,000 which are available to all Jewell students in good standing prior to their senior year.   Activities eligible for funding include summer study-abroad programs, workshops, intensive summer courses, conferences relating to the student’s academic major, programs providing advanced training in the student’s field of study and research opportunities at other institutions.  The focus is on academic rather than work-related experience, so internships are usually excluded. The grants fund intensive off-campus academic experiences rather than service or humanitarian projects.

William Jewell College students receiving Hall Family Foundation Summer Enrichment Grants for the summer of 2008:

Hillary Capwell, a sophomore nursing and Applied Critical Thought and Inquiry (ACT-In) major, studied in Guadalajara, Mexico, to learn more about and become immersed in both the language and the culture. Hillary hopes to minor in Spanish and completed 12 credit hours during the ten-week summer session. Her rigorous nursing schedule would not otherwise permit this educational opportunity. 

Alec Chambers, a junior political science major, traveled to the University of Crete in Greece as part of the International Institute for Political and Economic Studies to study government, economics, society, culture and conflict resolution along with 79 other students from the U.S. and around the world. Alec believes his summer experience will help prepare him for a future position from which he can affect change in a meaningful way.

(from left) Jewell student Alec Chambers with new friends Mohamed El-Ashiri and Sarantis Michaelopolous.

“I studied for three weeks in the town of Chania, on the northern coast of the Grecian Island of Crete,” Alec said.  “At a small agricultural university, 80 students from 20 countries came together to study economics, politics and conflict resolution.  It was the experience of a lifetime for so many reasons. I had conversations with an Israeli and a Palestinian; an Israeli and a Lebanese student; a Serb and a Kosovar; a Greek and a Turk. These conversations were intense and at times a struggle. These individuals come from cultures that are vastly different and have learned differing histories of the same events. Yet after only hours together, we began to bond, regardless of the ethnic and national differences. I learned, as an American in a group that has lost a lot of respect for America, that talking, understanding and empathy are the keys to peace. I hope to bring this and other lessons back to William Jewell with me, and spread the message of education and understanding to as many as possible.”

Brittany Edwards, a senior English literature, Spanish, psychology and Applied Critical Thought and Inquiry major, traveled to Granada, Spain, and then to London, England, where she did research in the British Library on domestic violence and sexual assault during the Victorian Era in England.  Court cases, newspapers and other original documents that cannot be found in the U.S. were available to use in her research, and the experience helped develop her research skills. Brittany plans to use the information she compiled this summer to structure an honors project.

Ryan Gentzler, a junior Oxbridge Institutions and Policy and Applied Critical Thought and Inquiry major, spent the summer in Mombasa, Kenya, participating in the Kiva Fellows Program to observe microfinance and to learn about the processes involved in the operation of a microfinance institution in a developing nation. The experience allowed him to gain an understanding of the workings of microfinance while interacting with impoverished borrowers. Ryan used this opportunity to research his Oxbridge senior thesis.

“My project for the summer was to design a new product for a microfinance company, expanding its financial services from microloans into microinsurance,” Ryan said. “Because burial expenses are high, it is often very difficult for clients to come up with enough money on short notice.  Such an unexpected expense can easily derail a borrower’s progress on repaying a loan, putting much pressure on the borrower and, in turn, his or her loan group, who have promised to step in and help if the borrower is unable to pay.  Informal welfare groups, in which members pitch in for the expenses of a fellow member, are common but often unreliable and difficult to manage. Formalizing the welfare group was my task.  The new product I developed will be called ‘Fariji,’ which is Kiswahili for ‘Console,’ but it is much more than just consolation.   The microinsurance program will give a new and invaluable sense of security to clients. In the event of a tragedy in their families, clients will know that the unexpected circumstances will not derail their progress financially.  To play such an integral part in the creation of this program is truly amazing. It was an unbelievable opportunity, and one I’m very grateful to have had.”

Jewell alumna, Congresswoman Nancy Boyda (left), Calleine Harms (right).

Calleine Harms a senior political science, international relations and Applied Critical Thought and Inquiry major, participated in the Engallitcheff Institute on Comparative Economic and Political Systems in Washington, D.C., through The Fund for American Studies.  This experience enriched her educational experience by providing hands-on experience in her field of study. She also interned for Jewell alumna, Congresswoman Nancy Boyda ’77.

“I was fortunate to have the opportunity I did, not only to participate in the Fund for American Studies program but also to experience life in Washington and life on Capitol Hill,” Calleine said. “Working for a member of Congress was amazing. Having the opportunity to stand in John F. Kennedy’s old House Office, give tours of the nation’s capitol building, write constituent letters, and be a part of the whirlwind of an election year in D.C. was an irreplaceable experience, and I am thankful for every second.”

John Moore, a junior Oxbridge English Language and Literature and philosophy major, attended the summer Yoknapatawpha Conference in Oxford, Miss., to pursue his interest in post-structuralist psychoanalysis, particularly Faulkner studies. The event is a gathering of the world’s foremost Faulkner scholars. Attendance at panel sessions and papers and conversations with the scholars proved to be invaluable in his research and writing and provided new perspectives that will be used to write an honors thesis.

Maylin Tu, senior Oxbridge English Language and  Literature and philosophy major, studied at the Act One Summer Writing Program in Los Angeles, Calif. The classes covered the craft and business of writing for mainstream film and television. She worked on a rough draft of a feature-length screenplay based on her experiences growing up in Beijing, China.

“I applied to Act One fully expecting to learn how to write a screenplay—the nuts and the bolts,” Maylin said. “Instead, I learned a little bit more about what drives me as a writer, a filmmaker, a human being. And I learned how to write a screenplay. I really appreciate the way a Jewell education—particularly the Critical Thought and Inquiry program—tries to get students to think critically about tough issues. But I don’t know if anything can prepare you for the emotional and practical realities of what it means to be female, what it means to be non-white, what it means to be human in a business like Hollywood.  Act One is a grueling program—we had class from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Faculty and guest speakers included writers from the TV series ‘That ‘70s Show,’ ‘Lost’ and ‘Burn Notice,’ as well as feature writers with credits on films starring Will Smith and Denzel Washington. We had classes on almost every aspect of writing for television and film—from pitching the next blockbuster to proper industry formatting to creating haunting moments on screen. Act One also creates a community of writers who are dedicated to supporting each other and helping each other succeed.”

Jewell student Maylin Tu (first row, standing, far left) with her classmates and mentors at the Act One Summer Writing Program in Los Angeles.

Damen Webster, senior theatre major, worked with a Chicago theatre group that focuses on staging productions, filming and teaching movement. He also attended a “Chicago Communities and Culture Seminar” one day a week to study the issues of race, class, culture and art.

Jacob Williams, a senior Oxbridge Institutions and Policy and philosophy major, attended the interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB) delegation to Israel and the West Bank. The delegation studied the current political landscape in Palestine and the effects of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. After a preliminary meeting at IFPB’s offices in Washington, D.C., the delegation flew to Tel Aviv to spend two weeks meeting with Israeli and Palestinian politicians, activists and citizens affected by the conflict.

“This trip has reconfirmed my commitment to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by exposing me to the reality of the situation on the ground,” Jake said. “I now have a great respect for the individuals caught up in this unfortunate situation.  I hope to educate Americans about the U.S. involvement in the conflict in order to improve conditions for the many people I have met.”  Jake spent his junior year studying Middle Eastern politics at the University of Oxford, where the Arab-Israeli Conflict became his main academic interest.

Other summer projects

Research/The Sciences

Kenneth Whitmore, sophomore physics and chemistry major, spent the summer working on research projects in the physics department. “My research mainly focused on studying electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), which uses a strong magnet to identify electron radicals,” Kenneth said. “With Dr. Blane Baker, I studied the EPR signals of vanadium oxides mixed with different amounts of other metal oxides. With Dr. Patrick Bunton, I studied the EPR signal of acrylate polymers created by frontal polymerization.  I also worked on an optics project with Dr. Bunton.  I used pyrene, a compound that glows in ultraviolet light, to track the frontal polymerization of various polymer systems mixed with clay.”

Sarah Henke,  junior biology student, received the Olive Thomas Research Scholarship for summer research.  Sarah worked in the cell division lab at William Jewell and in Dr. Joe Lutkenhaus’ microbiology lab at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Sarah worked with Dr. Wei Wu, visiting assistant professor of biology at William Jewell, on a project that investigated the localization of an essential bacteria cell division protein, DivIVA, in E. coli. This project utilized green fluorescence protein technology to label the DivIVA protein with a special protein that glows green under a fluorescence microscope. This technique allowed visualization of DivIVA protein localization in the cell. Sarah will continue this research throughout her
junior year.

Trisha Stan, senior Oxbridge molecular biology and philosophy major, spent her summer researching malaria at Princeton University in the laboratory of Dr. Manuel Llinás. She studied the most virulent strain of the malaria parasite known as Plasmodium falciparum, which causes over 1 million deaths a year. “Although the parasite has been known to cause malaria for over 100 years, significant gaps exist in knowledge of its cellular biology,” Trisha said. She studied transcriptional regulation of Plasmodium falciparum, focusing on one family of putative transcription factors, to determine which genes they regulate. Trisha was able to complete this research through a summer research experience program developed and funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Princeton University Department of Molecular Biology, and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics.

Photography

Erin McNeil, an Oxbridge History of Ideas and philosophy major, discovered a new passion for photography working with Rob Quinn, assistant professor of art at William Jewell. This summer she continued working on her photography, but with the newer medium of digital photography.  While working in a children’s summer camp in rural Colorado, Erin employed digital imaging while working on the Voyager Youth Program.  She organized, publicized and ran an art show combining the efforts of local professional artists and the day-camp students.  Using these and other staff photographs, she also created a keepsake book for the children. Erin was also part of the team that designed the museum’s poster for their largest summer fundraiser. 

Internship

Adam Mickelson, senior computer science and business administration major, spent this summer finding his niche in the corporate world at Garmin International in Olathe, Kan. Adam was given the opportunity to participate in the new Information Technology internship program at Garmin.  He was assigned to the Internet Department of IT, where his position as a developer for the Internet team gave him the opportunity to prove his coding prowess as he developed a new automated process for an old set of manual tasks. Because of his success in the internship position, Adam was offered the opportunity to return to Garmin after he graduates as a full-time member of the Internet team. “The combination of the technical training and critical thinking skills of Jewell’s computer science major provided a great foundation for me,” Adam said.

Service Learning

Brooke Grun, a senior nursing and Applied Critical Thought and Inquiry major, was part of a William Jewell College summer service learning trip to Honduras. The Jewell Department of Nursing partnered with the Brigada de Salud, the Municipality of the City of Puerto Cortes, Honduras, and the Honduras Relief effort to provide short-term healthcare to rural villages in Honduras. The team of 21 people from the U.S. included six Jewell students, three Jewell faculty and two Jewell alumni working with a team of Honduran health professionals, including a physician, a nurse and three dentists. The group provided healthcare teaching, health screening, treatment of illnesses, fitting for reading glasses and dental extractions, offering care to more than 2,000 people.  “I am truly blessed to have had such an enlightening experience,”  Brooke said.

Lucy Akins, a senior nursing major, traveled to Tanzania, Africa, for a six-week medical mission trip.  In Tanzania, she worked at clinics on the islands of Lake Victoria.  Each week her team traveled to a different island to help contribute to the healthcare of the local people.  Lucy participated in many aspects of healthcare, including  pregnancy check-ups, vital signs, laboratory work, child delivery, giving medications, HIV testing, pediatric check-ups and wound care. “Many days were spent looking at stool samples for worms or blood samples for malaria,” Lucy said. “One hot afternoon was spent helping a woman deliver her baby on a cement floor.  Many more days were spent giving medication out for malaria and testing people for HIV.  It was a great experience to be able to put into practice what I have been learning as a nursing student.”

Matthew 25

William Jewell College partnered with the city of Kansas City to undertake the “Matthew 25 Project” painting homes and completing home repair projects this summer in the city’s urban core.  “The mission of the Matthew 25 Project is to provide a spiritually transforming experience for students and adults as they work to improve substandard housing for residents in Kansas City’s urban core,” said Jeff Buscher, project coordinator and campus minister at William Jewell. Approximately 50 students worked improving homes for residents in Kansas City’s Palestine neighborhood.

International Relations

William Jewell students Alex Elmore, Nick Hawkins, Samantha Houk, Laura Weisgerber and Brett Mach traveled this summer with Dr. Alan Holiman, chair of the department of political science, on an intensive eight-day tour of Russia.  Dr. Holiman, a specialist in Russian politics, has lived, studied and conducted research in the country for nearly three decades. The group was made up of students representing a variety of academic disciplines, including political science, international relations, nursing and accounting.  They spent half of the trip in Moscow before taking the midnight train to St. Petersburg, cramming as much learning and touring as possible into each day. Student Brett Mach, a senior political science and English literature major, shared his impressions of the trip:

“Moscow is the largest city in Europe and one of the most diverse and crowded places I have ever been.  To get around, our group took advantage of the world’s largest subway system, originally designed to transport the working masses around Stalinist Moscow in the 1930s.  I was constantly under the impression that we were fighting at least half of Moscow’s 10.4 million inhabitants as we navigated our way through the tricky underground. Red Square is the iconic impression left in the minds of most visitors, and we were fortunate to visit it several times and tour the surrounding sites such as St. Basil’s Cathedral, Lenin’s tomb (He still looks pretty good!), and the Kremlin Cathedrals and Armory.  All of this was underlined by a running ticker of anecdotes and educational analysis and observation by Professor Holiman, who was a perpetually interesting and engaging expert to have around.

“One of my most lasting impressions of the trip was on the last day when Professor Holiman took Nick Hawkins and me to a place slightly off the tourist-beaten path. Visiting the cathedral of the Aleksandr Nevsky Monastery during a service was incredible. We stood in silence while participants filtered in and out, lighting candles, genuflecting, and listening to the liturgy being sung. The voices flowed from behind the altar and swirled with smoke and the smell of incense around the candlelit sanctuary. Eastern Orthodoxy remains a cultural anchor in the complicated identity of the Russian people, and experiencing and learning about this completely foreign strain of Christianity was an important part of my experience in Russia.”

Theatre

Maggie Rader, a senior theatre major, spent five weeks this summer in the Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts studying 60 hours a week at the Shakespeare & Company Summer Institute. Maggie looks back on those five weeks as the experience of a lifetime. “When I had the opportunity to study in England my junior year at Jewell, I heard Shakespeare for the first time it seemed. The language came alive in the productions I saw overseas, and I knew from that moment that I wanted to learn how to fill the text like the actors I had seen. My time in Massachusetts was invaluable because it taught me how to unlock the language that is Shakespeare. I learned who I am as a performer and found my own individual voice. I found the deep passion I have for language and reaching and changing an audience through that language. The Summer Institute taught me that I am trying to change the world by helping my audience discover who they are through the language I embody on stage. Through my own voice embodying Shakespeare’s text, I can change the world.”