A former Rennert manager who is a graduate of the SIT TESOL Certificate Course talks about her lifelong interest in multicultural communication and why she chose to enroll in the SIT course.
What inspired you to enroll in the SIT TESOL program? What did you enjoy about the program and your experiences that followed?
I was working for an investment banking boutique on Park Avenue while attending graduate classes at Hunter College in Urban Affairs. This certainly increased my expertise in an office environment and refreshed my memory in economics, but I was not satisfied with the path I was on.
My thoughts started returning to living abroad. The best option that I could think of was to teach. I had the experience, the knowledge and the motivation -- although I didn't have the certification. I had confidence that I was qualified and would find a job, however, I wanted to approach teaching in a more methodical way. I was not certain that teaching would be a lifelong commitment, so a Masters in TESOL was not what I wanted.
That was when I found the School for International Training Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (SIT TESOL). My research from there lead me to World Learning and finally to Rennert. Within a matter of weeks, I applied for the course, was accepted, quit my job, took a week of vacation and showed up for an incredible month-long intensive course with intelligent classmates and skillful instructors. At the time, one of the Associate Directors from Rennert was taking permanent maternity leave, and there was a position open at Rennert, which I was hired for immediately after completing the course.
At Rennert, I had an incredible experience working with exceptionally dedicated, experienced and knowledgeable colleagues from diverse backgrounds. The students were also an integral element to the enriching experience that I had while at Rennert.
I was responsible for accepting SIT TESOL certificate participants, and I was consistently impressed with the diversity in backgrounds and experiences of the students I accepted to the program. Furthermore, the environment of international students in the hallways and classrooms -- providing real teaching experience and a taste of what it will be like to teach international students -- is a factor that was appreciated by all SIT TESOL participants. SIT TESOL participants were often hired as teachers, once a course was finished (I may have set that example!)
What led you to the Master of Arts in Sustainable Development program?
While directing the SIT TESOL certificate program at Rennert, I interacted frequently with SIT's Vermont campus. As I visited the website often, I came across their Master of Arts in Sustainable Development program being held in tsunami devastated Sri Lanka.
There was no question that this was something I was committed to do once I read the program description. The schedule for the year was to study Sustainable Development with SIT professors for three weeks in the capital, Colombo at the headquarters of Sarvodaya, the Sri Lankan NGO, then do research for 2 weeks in the field and have the degree in a year.
I have been in Sri Lanka since January and am in the second term of the SLMA degree program. The experience has been invaluable thus far, and I anticipate the learning cycle to continue as the year goes on.
While here, I have taken relevant courses and have had field experience. I have narrowed my focus on the impact of capacity building training programs on livelihoods of participants. I have been gathering primary data through attending programs and conducting interviews. I have spent a lot of time learning Sinhala (one of two native languages, the other being Tamil), which has helped tremendously in my personal and professional integration to the culture.
Presently, I am compiling a questionnaire, and in order to complete the triangulation of my research, I am gathering existing data on training programs and livelihoods from Sri Lankan and international NGOs. I have been in communication with Oxfam America and Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, which is a branch of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (which has an office just around the corner from Rennert!).
Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Greenwich Village, NYC. I grew up in the '80s back when the West Village was an entirely different place. The area used to be mostly small charming shops with residents who were artists and creative-types, and some business people.
My older brother Isaac and I went to the same two schools. First, St. Luke's School on Hudson Street for 10 years, where I have friends from there that I am still close with -- in fact, my best friend from school came to visit me here last month in Sri Lanka! For high school, I went to Birch Wathen Lenox on the Upper East Side.
For university (or college, as is said in the U.S.), I went to William Smith in upstate NY about a six hour drive north of Manhattan. I was a Political Science major, but I always had my heart in studying other cultures and international contexts.
At what point in your life did you get interested in multicultural education and communication? How did you get interested in these subjects?
On my fifth birthday, I was on my first international flight to England with my mom and brother. My mother is an Art History professor. She was teaching for the summer in England, and she took us kids along. I went to a summer camp with other international children. Then my mom took us traveling on the Euro rail through France and Italy (mostly so we could visit her beloved art historian sites- when I read The Da Vinci Code, their quest reminded me of my childhood).
We did that for two summers. At the end, I vowed to my family that I would return to France on my own at 16, not just for vacation, but, with their permission, to study. My third year of high school I spent a semester living and studying in Paris with a wonderful host family. I am still close to them and they are ALSO coming to visit me here in Sri Lanka in September. My experience with studying in a different language and cultural context ignited my new curiosity with multicultural education and communication.
This experience was profound in that I realized how culture, education and identity are so deeply connected. After my personal intercultural experience, the question that came to mind at age 16 was: "What happens to people who share the same social environment where several cultures interact?" Later, as a university student, I wondered how this interaction influences education and students' ability and desire to learn.
My second year of college (sophomore year), I did a study abroad program in Senegal in West Africa. For five months, I lived with a host family, took classes at a multi-cultural center and also at the local university.
This experience was the most influential in my later career. It was my first time being exposed to a developing country, and seeing a different kind of poverty than I had experienced in NYC. Interacting with Senegalese people was at first unfamiliar and challenging, provoking seemingly endless questions. While I spoke French, the official national language, initially I felt I was missing part of the culture without an understanding of Wolof, which is spoken by 74% of the country.
I put in a lot of effort and time not just to learn Wolof, but to read history and literature about Senegal and engage in discussions with my host family regarding cultural differences. I did my best to be genuine, accepting that I would make mistakes and that eventually communication and understanding would happen. It was phenomenal how much I learned to interact with body language and facial expressions during the process. Further, as I inquired and learned more about the Senegalese context, my everyday experiences began to make much more sense!
I had planned to go to law school, but on a whim, I looked into options for returning to Senegal after graduation. I was hired as an International Baccalaureate teacher at West African College of the Atlantic/Lycee International Bilingue, with a year contract to begin in August after graduation. I accepted the offer and after a summer in NYC, I left for Senegal for the year.
What is your ultimate career goal? How did SIT help you along with this process?
This entire process continues to fill me with inspiration for whatever comes next in my career. I expect to return to NYC at the end of my program, where there is a strong network of development organizations and foundations doing work nationally and internationally.
I still have aspirations for the United Nations, however, I envision many patient steps in the field of sustainable development before that time comes. In the meantime, I have been incredibly grateful for not just my past educational and professional experience, but my experiences through SIT TESOL and at Rennert. This time provided me educational and professional multicultural learning experiences which I have used to apply new knowledge and which I anticipate will continue to help me in my future career in development within multicultural contexts.
