2004-05 Student Recognition Award
Two students were honored with the CIEE 2004-2005 Student Recognition Award at the Miami Conference: Leah Rubinsky and Trevanna Grenfell from the CIEE Study Center in Dakar, Senegal. During their year in Dakar, they maintained outstanding academic records and brought an optimistic and thoughtful presence to the classroom, while undertaking a unique internship with an organization called 10,000 Girls during their second semester.
Dakar, Senegal
Read what Catherine Menyhart, Resident Coordinator of the CIEE Study Center in Dakar, Senegal had to say about these young women:
As part of CIEE’s internship/community service course, Leah and Trevanna embarked twice a month on the long and bumpy, 3 - 5 hour journey to Kaolack for their intership with 10,000 Girls. The organization is located in a region of Senegal where the school drop out rate for girls is especially high (only 1% of girls who enter primary school finish high school). The main focus of the organization is an after school support program for over 170 girls and vocational and entrepreneurial training, including management of a successful café, pastry shop, and sewing workshop, for women who are excluded from the formal education system. During their internship, Leah and Trevanna spent the weekend working with the girls, staying in their homes, speaking Wolof, sharing meals, teaching lessons, and trying to better understand their daily lives, backgrounds and hardships.
Although they consulted with Viola Vaughn, the founder of 10,000 Girls, all of their work was created and designed solely by these two students. It is this self-starting attitude and relentless energy that makes these students stand out among the many successful internship and service projects conducted each semester. In addition to the time they devoted listening and encouraging individual girls’ aspirations, they organized etiquette and health lessons, pastry sales in Dakar from the café in Kaolack, lasting links to service organizations in the United States, regular donations of clothing and school supplies from fellow CIEE students, and an art class promoting self-confidence through self-portraits. Their internship culminated with an outstanding Career Day, held at Suffolk University, introducing the girls to educational opportunities and allowing them to meet professional women working as lawyers, cashiers, doctors, and politicians.
Dakar can be an intimidating place for young people who have never left their village, and on this day, almost one hundred young women took public transport, used a computer, visited a university library and the national art museum, and heard inspiring speeches from professional Senegalese women. Leah and Trevanna managed to find funding and donations for the entire excursion. One student was so inspired by the career day that she worked day and night to achieve baccalaureate results that will allow her to attend Suffolk University on scholarship next year! The positive influence that Trevanna and Leah had on the young women in Kaolack will be long lasting and I know that they are already considering ways that they can continue working with 10,000 Girls in the U.S. or coordinate a volunteer trip returning to Senegal. CIEE Dakar extends their congratulations and admiration to these two passionate students for their motivation and passion for women’s education.
To better understand the diverse efforts of the 10,000 Girls Educational Support Program, click here (pdf) to view their 2003-2004 Annual Report.