Student Profiles

By: Chris Froehlinger

Michael Ondish is 21, single and seeking a degree in international studies and economics.

Dave Kenyon is a married 40-year-old father of five who returned to school seeking a degree in government in hopes of attending law school.

While at different points in their lives, both men were inspired by a visiting professor at Millersville University . They were so inspired that they traveled to South Africa to study and perform community service work there.

Professor Suzanne Berry came to Millersville in January to teach a course on Zulu and South African culture as part of the university's international exchange program.

Her visit is the result of a partnership with the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa , said Kirsten Bookmiller , director of the Office of Global Education and Partnership and professor of government and political affairs.

"We started researching the African continent about three years ago," to add it to the exchange program, she said. " South Africa is exciting with its post-apartheid experience."

To encourage student interest in South Africa , Berry was invited to teach about human rights issues there.

The advanced course, open to 30 students, was filled immediately, Bookmiller said. "There was something magical about the class; the students bonded with her."

Ondish and Kenyon agreed. After taking the course, they and fellow student, Nicolle Nestler, traveled to KwaZulu-Natal for a five-week course.

"The students got an introduction to Zulu and a look at the South African society. They also did a service-learning component, so they got a hands-on [experience] with the local culture," she said. "The whole experience was life changing."

"I'll go back," declared Kenyon. "I'm in contact with the professor over there to see what they need."

Kenyon, who decided to make the trip after taking Berry 's class, said he had written a paper on apartheid in high school. "Yes, apartheid was around when I was in high school," he said.

"The changes that happened didn't seem all that real, and the reality is there is still economic disparity and economic repression. I wanted to see first hand what is really going on," he said.

Ondish said he made the trek because Berry "was just amazing. Her teaching style was amazing and she taught us a lot we didn't know."

While Berry drew the three to the other side of the world, the work they did there transformed their thoughts and their hearts.

Nestler, 21, said she worked in a clinic during her trip. "Everyone [in the clinic] had HIV or AIDS," she said.

"I got to work in all aspects of the clinic: the pharmacy, the administration, with the doctors and nurses and even psychiatry."

Nestler said most people spoke English, so she was able to learn a lot about the way of life in South Africa . "I learned so much about the treatment of the disease, too."

Her time in the clinic was not pretty, but she said she tried to focus on the positive. "While people died there every day, we also got to see others who were able to go home to their families."

The hope she saw among the patients, she said, has inspired her to want to continue helping others.

Kenyon spent his time with Street Wise, a program that works to get runaway children off the streets. He worked with boys, ages 9 to 14, who have already been taken from the streets, cleaned up and settled down.

"Our job was to get them back into the classroom and help them gain vocational skills so they could move on," he said.

"While we were there, we did a mock election for them. We wanted to give them something helpful but not something that was already offered."

Ondish served in a library in the middle of an informal settlement: a shanty town on the outskirts of the city.

"People build homes out of what they can find so they can be close to the city for jobs and services," he explained. "The kids have little to nothing."

The library was a large room with adult materials on one side and children's on the other. "They had fairly good resources for the kids," he said.

"On Fridays, we went to different places in the community so we could see what real life is like there," he said. "We got to see places even South Africans don't get to see."

The students wrote papers about their experiences and how they feel the communities could best be helped.

Bookmiller said the service-learning component of the exchange program makes it different than the typical internship. "This is a grass-roots link to the community, and it's rather new to us," she said.

"I'm so pleased that this is the model we're working on because the benefits are enormous at a time when the world's view of us is, let's say, not the best. These are powerful ambassadors."

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