I'm No Superman

Iowa State University has a relatively new undergraduate program entitled “Global Resource Systems” (GLOBE). This is an interdisciplinary major that incorporates a core education, technical area, and geographic focus into a degree program through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. I stumbled upon this major halfway through my freshman year at Iowa State after being unfulfilled with my coursework in journalism and international relations. So, I moved into GLOBE with a focus in Sub-Saharan Africa and a technical area of biology (pre-occupational therapy/public health). This past semester I became a Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician in addition to my coursework at ISU.

 In just a year and a half in the program I’ve been allowed the opportunity to travel to Uganda on a service-learning team promoting sustainable agriculture and school feeding, take classes on topics I’ve always been passionate about (including economics, rural sociology, development, world food issues, etc.), and meet a bunch of “globies” who a.) I’m convinced are superheroes and b.) Are some of my biggest role models at Iowa State.

A defining portion of the program is a required 6-10 week global internship in your area of focus. Typically, this internship is completed prior to your final year and is the basis of your senior research project. People travel to all areas of the world participating in internships regarding improving rural beef production, teaching English, restoring wildlife sanctuaries, establishing water filtration systems; the list goes on.

International travel is expensive; therefore generous donors to the GLOBE program help aid students to cover airfare and sometimes-basic essentials on these typically unpaid internships. I sold my soul to do some personal fundraising (apologies for the obnoxiousness and a HUGE thank you to all who contributed) and of course worked multiple jobs in order to pay tuition, rent, and go without a paycheck all summer.

I love what I’m studying, so I honestly would have gone without food for the opportunity to do field research, but it’s nice that I don’t have to.

I decided to complete my internship this summer when an opportunity rose to analyze different approaches to feeding/nutrition programs in Uganda. I participated in research regarding school feeding programs with a professor who helped to establish ISU’s involvement in Uganda (although I didn’t know it at the time) and I’m about 97% sure that’s the reason I ended up being chosen to participate in the Uganda Service-Learning Program last year. The school feeding and nutrition project two students from Makerere University and I worked on won awards at a World Food Prize undergraduate competition and was presented at various conferences. It just seemed natural to return to Uganda and contribute research to a program that has done so much for me.

This program that has done so much for me, and in retrospect, I do very little for the program.

I’m uncomfortable when people say that I am “doing big things” or “changing the world” (Truly, receiving any praise). In reality, Sanyu and CSRL’s Nutrition Education Center (& the GLOBE program) are providing hands-on experience in a field I would like to work in the future. These organizations and people allow me to interrupt their daily lives so I can learn. Of course the goal is that I can refine strategies of addressing malnutrition in children and improve people’s lives, but I play a very small part in the grand scheme of things.

I hope that my sharing of my time in Uganda doesn’t falsely glorify my role here.  This whole blogging-thing was originated for the purpose of letting my family and close friends know what was going on without making $4 a minute international phone calls rather than a “Hey, look at me, I’m Mother Teresa”. I also like to share my experiences and pictures because I think they have potential to provide a more personal connection to a place that is distant from home and often misunderstood.

There’s no way that I could do this all on my own and I am so grateful to Iowa State, GLOBE, Sanyu, CSRL, and every person I’ve ever encountered for helping me get to where I am. I’m just a product of the wonderful surroundings.