It's no surprise that Midd kids like to take full advantage of their summer vacation to give back to their communities, and Julia Paolillo '15.5 is no exception.
Originally from New Haven, Conn., Paolillo participated in a program after high school called the African Leadership Academy, located near Johannesburg, South Africa.
This summer she reunited with some fellow graduates and other friends to travel around Johannesburg and Morocco, but it was not until the end of June that her greatest adventure began.
Over the course of a year, a fellow graduate of Paolillo's from the African Leadership Academy established Gindi, a three-week summer learning program for middle-school- age children in the rural village of Joal, Senegal. After many calls, emails and letters, recently elected President of Senegal, Macky Sall, agreed to fund the program out-of- pocket so it could be free for the participants.
During their first days in the village, Paolillo and the other student volunteers, including
Middlebury student Aissatou Gaye '16, advertised the program around town so that by the first day of classes they were excited to have over 70 kids show up.
Paolillo and UC Berkeley's Liam Cook were English teachers for the Gindi program.
They each had their own open-air classroom and, because of the funding, they were able to hand out school supplies to their students. Yet, their teaching experience definitely came with its challenges.
Paolillo speaks French, but Cook does not. Sometimes, goats would have to be chased out of the classrooms, and because there was no air conditioning, temperatures in the building could reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
"It was one of those adapt-and-go-with-it type deals," said Paolillo.
By the end of the program, however, Paolillo had no regrets.
"I learned that people live in different ways than I do, and that's okay," she said. "Just because I'm not familiar with it doesn't mean it's any less valid."
Paolillo said the experience also helped her solidify her decision to pursue some kind of African-focused or education-based degree.
"I learned this summer that not everybody is a teacher," said Paolillo. Still, she is passionate about improving education globally, starting with her own education at Middlebury.
A Global Education: Teaching English in Senegal
Comments
