Welcome!
Life may not be easy, but you cannot sit back and wait for opportunities to fall into your lap. Each one of you has different talents and capabilities. There is support for you from all of us to build on these strengths, but the will and determination must come from you. ~Sam Nujoma, 1st President of Namibia |
Hi everyone, my name is Lisa Chin and I am a junior at the University of Notre Dame. I am a psychology major and poverty studies minor and my current academic interests include urban schools, teacher education, and multiculturalism among others. I am from a suburb outside Milwaukee, WI, and still have a "Wisc-ahhh-nsin" accent and use the term "bubbler." In the summer of 2012, I spent ten weeks in Namibia teaching computer classes to secondary students. I was able to engage in this amazing opportunity through a Kellogg Summer Internship from the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at Notre Dame. These internships allow undergraduates to travel and work with a variety of organizations and developing countries, ranging from micro-finance institutions for women artisans in Ghana to teaching English in schools in China. My particular internship was through the American NGO WorldTeach in the northern region of Namibia.
While in Namibia, I taught, learned, traveled, pondered, tasted, questioned, succeeded, failed, played, and danced. I lived among some of the most interesting and gracious people during my summer and experienced moments I will never forget. Along the way I observed students, teachers, and the education system in Namibia. Based on my observations and academic experiences, I have discovered a number of similarities between the education systems in Namibia and the U.S. related to resource allocation, social capital, and English language learning. I invite you to explore these topics and my website in hopes that you will gain a better understanding of Namibia's people, places, and culture and come a little closer to appreciating Namibia as much as I do now. |