IU’s “International Comparative Exchange: Services for Children with Disabilities” course was born out of a combination of Bryan P. McCormick‘s work in the Balkans as a Fulbright Scholar and my passion for creating programs to support youth impacted by various health conditions. This three-credit summer intensive class, now entering its second year, is offered through the… Read more »
Volunteerism
Circle of Sisterhood: Discovering myself in Nicaragua
After months of discussion and preparation, we had finally arrived in the community of El Toro in Nicaragua. Along with 10 other Panhellenic Association women from Indiana University, I had committed to building a school in a Nicaraguan community. The IU Panhellenic community had spent months of hard work fundraising for Circle of Sisterhood, a… Read more »
Circle of Sisterhood: Finding a home on the other side of the world
Nicaragua is a small country in Latin America just North of Costa Rica. It is the second-poorest country in the region, just behind Haiti. Those living in rural parts of Nicaragua average about 2.1 years of school, and 68 percent of Nicaraguans in rural areas live on less than $1 per day. This is all… Read more »
Circle of Sisterhood: Celebrating the role and work of women
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. – Nelson Mandela About three years ago, a mentor and role model of mine, Katie Nobbe, introduced me to the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation. The mission of the foundation is to leverage the collective influence and resources of sorority women to help… Read more »
IU sorority sisters build school, community in Nicaragua
Thanks in large part to the efforts of a group of sorority women from Indiana University, children in the village of El Toro, Nicaragua, are now attending school in a bright, modern new building with plenty of school supplies and teachers. After raising a collective $40,000 and taking an eight-week preparation class, a group of nine members… Read more »
IU-Serbia Program: Seeing the world through new eyes
Before starting this journey, I had little prior knowledge of Serbia and didn’t know what the culture would be like. Our group from Indiana University had meetings and assignments to prep us before we exited the country, and I learned we would be touring disability specific schools and facilities for individuals with disabilities. In my… Read more »
IU-Serbia program exposes public health students to different therapeutic programs for youth
Through an immersive summer course offered by the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, students from IU and the University of Belgrade in Serbia are learning more about how children with disabilities are supported in different cultures. “International Comparative Exchange: Services for Children with Disabilities” was first offered in the summer of 2016, when six… Read more »
Holiday care packages for soldiers
Our soldiers work hard and risk their lives to defend our freedom so we have the opportunity to attend IU. This year, the students serving on the Faculty and Staff for Student Excellence Advisory Board decided to show our support and gratitude to Indiana soldiers serving overseas by sending care packages for the holiday season…. Read more »
Changing lives, one house at a time
I have spent the last six years trying to offer more to Habitat for Humanity than I receive in return. Instead, I have found myself with innumerable life-changing experiences that come from sealing windows to lobbying on Capitol Hill. While I could write for hours about the importance of Habitat and the difference it makes… Read more »
‘Coach for College forever changed my life’
Being black in rural Vietnam almost made me feel like a celebrity. Everywhere I went during the three-week Coach for College program this past summer, people wanted to talk to me and take a picture with me. Many had never seen an American in real life, let alone a black person. The Coach for College… Read more »