Glimpse of Life At MAPCS
MAPCS Students Soar in Senegal, West Africa
Thanks to See Forever’s Washington Semester Intern from American University, Nicole Ballis for submitting this article.
This past summer, nine students and four faculty members set out on a trip to Senegal with the goal of broadening their cultural awareness. They did not realize, however, that they were actually embarking on the journey of a lifetime that would forever transform their daily lives.
 While in Senegal, the students were exposed to a variety of experiences meant to expand their knowledge, heighten leadership skills, and develop powerful relationships with each other and the Senegalese people. With much of the focus on education, the students attended language, cultural, and historical classes three or four days each week. In addition to classes, the students also met with a member of the British consulate each class day to learn stronger leadership skills. Outside of the classroom, the students were given the opportunity to tour numerous historical sites and nature preservations throughout the entire country. As MAPCS Evans student, Takeithia Pugh described her experience, “I was able to see nature as itself. I’ve never seen that before here in DC.”
In addition to having an incredible educational experience, the students were also able to greatly interact with the Senegalese people themselves. Each Maya Angelou student was first paired with a Senegalese student who they actually lived with for part of the trip. Louis Josey commented, “I forgot I was in Africa. I expected them to be a lot different, but they were just like us. We’re all the same people.” The students not only formed transformational relationships with other students just like themselves, but they also furthered their experience through home stays with families in Senegal. These home stays provided the students with a broader understanding of the true essence of the Senegalese people and their culture.
Although the interaction with the Senegalese people was extremely valuable to the personal growth of each student, the trip would not have been complete without its service project. In an effort to give back to the host country, the students were once again paired with their Senegalese counterparts and were separated into five groups. The service project focused on an SOS village which provides care and services to orphans and other children in need. Both the Maya Angelou and Senegalese students took part in cleaning up the grounds of the village. In addition, the students also painted a mural in the village to make it more welcoming for the children.
The trip to Senegal proved to be much more than anyone had ever anticipated it would be. Every moment on the journey served as motivation for the students to continue their growth and development as young adults. SFF/MAPCS Co-founder James Forman said, “The Real World exposure opportunities at MAPCS give our students something that cannot be found in the classroom. These experiences have the ability to teach students about themselves, our global community, and their place and impact in it.” The experience really was a once in a lifetime opportunity and as Louis Josey says best, “I didn’t expect all of that to actually happen in just three weeks.” |
