Winter 2017 Happenings!
A glimpse into another semester in GSP
Welcome to the second edition of the Global Scholars Alumni News! Keep up to date with all of the events happening within the GSP community, including inside commentary from students and staff! ENJOY!
Save the Dates:
GSP Symposium: April 8th, 12:00pm
GSP Formal: April 8th, 7:00pm
University of Michigan Museum of Natural History
Join us for the Alumni Breakfast during Symposium Weekend!
April 9, 10:30am
Fill out the Alumni Reunion Weekend Survey and let us know if you would be interested in reconnecting with GSP this fall!
Want to Get Involved?
GSP Alumni Mentorship Opportunities
Email Eli Zucker at [email protected] for more information
2016-2017
GSP Cohort
Quick Facts
148 student members
35 countries represented
51 languages and dialects spoken
11 colleges at UM represented
47 different majors and minors
Alternative Spring Break Trip
Alternative Spring Break (ASB) is a trip where students work with an organization to impact a community. This year, GSP worked with Give Kids the World, an amusement park that services children with life threatening illnesses. The students who attended the trip interacted with the children by helping run the park, assisting with face painting, food service, and operating rides. Some of the lessons that they learned were about child safety, caring for children with life threatening illnesses, and other topics such as environmentalism and animal rights. Overall the trip this year was an enriching experience for everyone!
- Leamon Wilson, Senior: LSA
Meet Our Office
Eli: Student Engagement Coordinator
What was the most impactful experience you had in GSP this year? Why?
Facilitating the leadership retreat for rising peer facilitators was one of many impactful experiences I have had with GSP this year! Students were engaged for the entire weekend, asking thoughtful and important questions to their peers and also to themselves as individuals. Above all, I was so energized and inspired by their willingness to challenge themselves and to share and explore their stories with one another. Over the course of the weekend, we cultivated a challenging and meaningful space together!
Brittanye: Student Engagement Coordinator
What has been the most rewarding part about your role as Student Engagement Coordinator?
What I find most rewarding about GSP is the direct interaction I have with students on a regular basis. Co-supervising Advisory Council and undergraduate residential staff members has been both challenging and fulfilling as I learn how to guide students in making the best decisions to balance their personal lives and community roles. I also found it extremely rewarding personally because I was back in a space where I could be my FULL self at work. The GSP office staff and community embody so much of what matters most to me (equality, affirming differences of all kinds, encouraging cultural and cross-cultural exploration, to name a few), that I honestly felt at home even while at work. It made completing daily tasks and responsibilities energizing and easier to complete. I will certainly miss GSP but am glad I will leave with many cherished memories. :)
Student Spotlight
What is one of your favorite memories from the past semester in GSP?
“I loved the fact that I could talk about various social justice topics in the lounges of North Quad and learn so much from other people’s opinions.”
Taha Bashir
Sophomore, LSA
What are you most looking forward to this semester in GSP?
“I really look forward to engaging in different cultures and meeting new people in GSP community and I can’t wait to hang out with them.”
Lisa Gomez
Junior, LSA
Who has been your favorite guest speaker and why?
“My favorite guest speaker is Lit. She helped us raise awareness about being homeless in a very prosperous city. The energy that she gave allowed for us to change from a lecture format to a discussion.”
Mark Sema
Junior, Kinesiology
GSP Moments
Culture Show 2016
Our culture show was a great success! Check out some photos from the grooviest event of the semester.
Advisory Council Winter 2017
Guest Speakers
This semester, we have been lucky enough to hear from several guest speakers about their work in global activism!
State Representative Stephanie Chang
State Representative and University of Michigan alumna Stephanie Chang has served on the House Committees for Criminal Justice, Education and Judiciary and develops legislation on air quality, affordable and safe drinking water, education, and criminal justice reform.
Ken and Geraldine Grunow
Current leads of the Detroit chapter of Amnesty International, Ken and Geraldine Grunow aim to protect human rights through research, action, and advocacy both domestically and internationally while focusing on the intersection between education and human rights.
Lit Kurtz
Activist, former high school teacher, and current editor for the Groundcover newspaper, Lit Kurtz speaks about experiencing homelessness and the impact it has on global health.
2016-2017 Research Action Projects
Here’s a glimpse into some of the organizations GSP students are working with this year!
Rift Valley Children and Women Development Organization
Rift Valley Children and Women Development Organization (RCWDO), located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was established in 1993 with a mission to contribute to sustainable improvement in the quality of life of marginalized people and ensure their empowerment.
Food and Water Watch (FWW)
Located in Detroit, Michigan, Food and Water Watch champions healthy food and clean water for all through standing up to corporations that put profits before people. They advocate for a democracy that improves people’s lives and protects our environment.
SPARC
The Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centers (SPARC) is one of the largest NGOs in India, working on housing and infrastructure issues for the urban poor. In 1984, when SPARC was formed, it began working with the most vulnerable and invisible of Mumbai’s urban poor - the pavement dwellers. SPARC aims to develop solutions that work for the most marginalized in the city, with the hope that these solutions can be scaled up to work for other groups of people across the country and internationally.
Amar Jyoti
Amar Jyoti, located in New Delhi India, is a volunteer organization rendering rehabilitative services to persons with disabilities through a holistic approach of inclusive education, medical care, vocational training, child guidance, and self-employment.
We miss you and hope our paths cross soon!
Meet the Editor!
Ozema Braddock
