Blog

Name: Christine Miresse
School: University of St. Thomas/Minnesota
Major: Environmental Science
SFS Program: Wildlife Management Studies, Kenya to Tanzania

Tuesday we spent a few hours playing games and interacting with the kids at a local primary school for our first community service day. We organized “lesson plans” beforehand and split into small groups to work with the different grades. The kids were so sweet and everyone had a blast getting to know each other. That is just one fun aspect of the SFS curriculum though!

Our professors are incredibly passionate about what they are teaching us, which makes class interesting every day. Lectures can be held anywhere—from our open-air classroom, to a hill overlooking the beautiful Kenyan landscape (a view which includes the breathtaking Mt. Kilimanjaro), and even on safari in the Land Cruisers!

Seeing the issues which we are learning about firsthand really puts things in perspective. It’s also highly motivating to know that what we are studying and the Directed Research will be do is capable of making a difference in the community. These people really deserve it; I’ve never met people as kind and welcoming as Kenyans, which includes the staff at the Kilimanjaro Bush Camp.

I’ve only been here two weeks but I already know that the friends and memories I’ve made will last a lifetime!