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Barbara H. Padnos International Center 130 Lake Ontario Hall Allendale, MI, MI 49401 Phone: 616-331-3898 Fax: 616-331-3899 studyabroad@gvsu.edu 
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Study Abroad Student Profiles 2009-10 Sam Lemmer: Cape Coast, Ghana
Identity: International Relations Major, African/African American Studies Minor from Bloomingdale, MI Goals: Where do I start?? During my study abroad in Cape Coast I want to learn more about the world around me. I want to experience a culture that is so vast;y different from my own. I hope to be tested in ways that I never have before, and improve skills such as patience, empathy, understanding, and my ability to improvise when things may not turn out as I originally planned. I would like to be seen by those around me as a trusted friend, and as someone who represents America in a positive way. I want to be a good example of a Grand Valley student, and take wht I have learned at GVSU to help me on my trip. In Cape Coast, I would like to make memories, learn lessons, and evolve as a student, traveler, and global citizen. Motivation: My motivation to study abroad in Cape Coast comes from my overall desire to take an active rold in the area of development in Sub-Saharan Africa. I have chosen Ghana because it is a success story of sorts. Ghana has made leaps and bounds in many different areas including education, economics, and politics. I hope to observe what makes Ghana successful, and implement it in other countries when I reach that point in my student and professional career. Previous overseas travel: I have never been overseas! As a matter of fact, I have only seen Canada from a distance, so this will be a learning experience on many different levels for me.  Andrew Sisson: Pondicherry, India Identity: Natural Resource Management major, from Grand Rapids, MI Goals: I hope to broaden my perspective on the world, listen to others with different beliefs and experience their way of life. Mostly, I hope to learn how to be more accepting of anyone different from me, and really realize and understand how fortunate I am for everything I have been blessed with.
Motivation: Since declaring my major in Natural Resource Management, I have felt called to go into the mission field to help communities around the world obtain adequate, safe, fresh drinking water. I have felt most called to go to India where, unlike the known scarcity of water in Africa, India has water, but it is very unsafe to drink. Studying abroad in India is a n opportunity to learn about this issue and about the culture, interact with local people and really decide whether I want to live there later in life.
Previous overseas experience: During the summer of 2008 I traveled to Verrettes, Haiti with my geology professor Peter Wampler, where we studied the fresh water resources of the region.
 Bethany Sheffer: Cuzco, Peru Identity: I’m a 4th year double major in Public and Nonprofit Administration and Liberal Studies (with an emphasis on Social and Political Development in Latin America) and a minor in Spanish. Goals: Of course I want to become super-fluent in Spanish! WhOO! I also hope to embrace the ferocity of the new environment, living patterns, interactions, and challenges with a sense of excitement and a desire for growth. Motivation: Since my early years in high school Spanish class, I’ve harbored a passion for both the Spanish language and Latin American Culture. My brief stay in the highlands of Guatemala helped me to unveil another passion that would later lead me into my current majors; humanitarianism. ProWorld is the PERFECT program that has allowed me to combine both my love for a unique Latin American setting with the opportunity to engage in service learning! I can’t wait to get my adventure-travel on Peruvian style! Previous overseas travel: To the remote, mountainous terrains of Campur, Guatemala. I was a part of a mission team led by Grand Valley and Campus Crusade that promoted the “Jesus Film Project." We also got to hike a Volcano!! |
| Last Modified Date: August 19, 2009 | |
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