就我个人而言, this was a proud moment that recognized my skills and talents as a social scientist as well as satisfied my ongoing curiosity and interest in people and communities outside of our own country.
Dr. 吉卜里勒所罗门 has always viewed social work as a community-based enterprise. This summer, he greatly expanded that idea of community.
现在它已经延伸到肯尼亚甚至更远的地方.
Dr. 所罗门, 社会工作助理教授, spent six days of his summer break in the East African nation. 他说，这无异于一场变革.
“个人, this was a proud moment that recognized my skills and talents as a social scientist as well as satisfied my ongoing curiosity and interest in people and communities outside of our own country,他说.
Dr. 所罗门 came to ladbrokes立博中文版 in 2017, and it didn’t take him long to get involved in international affairs. When he saw an announcement that the Global Studies Program was looking for 教师 members interested in participating in the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, 他抓住了这个机会.
He was asked to develop a proposal detailing what he could contribute to this landmark BSU program that is funded by the U.S. State Department and has been hosted by the university each summer since 2016. The program brings to campus roughly 25 young men and 女性 from Africa for a six-week institute focused on public leadership.
Dr. 所罗门 was selected to be a presenter in the summer of 2018, and the following year he was asked to contribute a week’s worth of programming. “That involved taking the principles we teach in social work and figuring out how they can be useful for tomorrow’s leaders,他说.
Dr. 所罗门’s role continued to grow with BSU’s Mandela program, when in 2020 he became one of its academic directors. However, COVID caused the cancellation of that summer’s program, and in 2021 it was held virtually.
“That was a heavy lift, but we pulled it off,他说.
The summer of 2022 saw a successful return of the program to campus.
并不是每个人都知道美国的经济增长.S. 国家国际研究 & 交流项目, 或IREX, 曼德拉奖学金背后的组织, also provides research and exchange grants to allow U.S.美国ladbrokes立博中文版去非洲旅行. It was highly competitive, but BSU Global Studies 教师 leaders Dr. Jabbar Al-Obaidi和Dr. 杜永恺鼓励. 所罗门申请. 他成功了.
“It was just a chance I took, and I was really surprised,” Dr. 所罗门说.
他在肯尼亚呆了六天, 驾车穿越全国, stopping for interviews and site-specific research in Nairobi, Siaya和Bondo镇.
Dr. 所罗门 met with local officials and security experts, 还有儿童和妇女团体, 并在内罗毕大学度过了一段时间, 他在哪里会见学生.
As it happens in Africa, these meetings took place “in fancy offices and under trees,” Dr. 所罗门回忆. “你来说吧。, 我和他们见了面,他说, reflecting the comprehensive nature of his fully packed schedule.
作为奖励，Dr. 所罗门 also met an aunt of Barack Obama, and visited the grave of the former president’s father.
他在国内的工作导致了一篇报道, “Develop Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution Strategies in Siaya County, 肯尼亚, 促进善治和公众参与.”
Knowing that 肯尼亚 has had its share of tribal wars and instability, Dr. 所罗门试图了解原因.
“我对此很好奇，”他说. “Where is the breakdown coming from, and what are the issues? Is there anything we can learn, and is there anything we can do to support this young democracy?”
肯尼亚官员将受益于奥巴马博士. 所罗门的报告，以及BSU学生的报告. He’d like to make the country a regular study tour destination for his students.
“So not only will they develop some cultural knowledge, they can bring back these skills when working with the immigrant community here at home,他说. “Such trips will help the students have a different perspective that will help them have a deeper understanding of how they will approach the immigrants from these countries, 我们需要为谁服务.”
Dr. 所罗门’s research in 肯尼亚 is part of his role as an educator in what he sees is an ever-shrinking world. He plans to go back next summer to continue his work.
在校园, 与此同时, 他会做演讲, host workshops and incorporate aspects of his personal fact-finding mission into his classroom teaching.
作为一名ladbrokes立博中文版, the trip was an opportunity to continue to develop my field research work, 专业知识和技能, 尤其是在全球范围内, to broaden my competencies in teaching and learning in a more diverse and globalized world,他说.
“Education in this century must have a global aspect to it, which is why it’s important to me to always have this larger perspective,” Dr. 所罗门说.
