Category Archives: Students

Alumna Pursues Passion for Girls’ Education, Healthcare in Africa

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. –Illinois Wesleyan University alumna Shannon O’Rourke, an international studies and political science double major while at Illinois Wesleyan, took an off-beat route to her interest in Africa.

“I actually realized I wanted to go to Africa when I was studying abroad in Switzerland during my junior year,” said O’Rourke, a 2007 Illinois Wesleyan graduate who recently returned from spending six months in Senegal on a Rotary Cultural Ambassador Scholarship. While in Switzerland, her study abroad research project involved working with a World Trade Organization representative from Tanzania. “Something simply clicked in my head and I thought, ‘I am going to go to Africa.’”

O’Rourke discovered the Rotary scholarship, which would allow her to study Arabic in Tanzania or French in Senegal. “I’d already studied French in college and high school for a few years, so I decided on Senegal,” she said.

The scholarship required her to study 225 hours of French with a professor at a small language school in Senegal’s capitol city of Dakar. Driving from the Dakar airport with her host family, O’Rourke realized she had stepped into a new world. “I spent the entire 20-minute drive staring out the window because everything looked so different. I had never seen anything like it.”

Students Commit to Teach Where Needed Most

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Selected from hundreds of applicants by the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois and Teach For America programs, 10 Illinois Wesleyan students are honoring their commitments to provide students in schools of need with highly trained teachers.

Illinois Wesleyan class of 2008 graduates Amanda Cordes, an English and Spanish double major with a secondary education concentration from Naperville; Michael Lawton, a music education major from River Forest; Kristine Madigan, an educational studies and sociology double major from Skokie and Amy Sipovic, a history major with a secondary education concentration from LaSalle are fulfilling their promise to the Golden Apple Foundation as they embark on their teaching careers throughout the state of Illinois. Also, Sophomore Anne Marie Casa, an English major with a secondary education concentration from Berwyn was recently selected as a Golden Apple Pathway Scholar.

Illinois Wesleyan has additionally learned that three incoming 2008-2009 first-year students have recently joined the Golden Apple Scholars program: Claire Current, an educational studies major from Bloomington; Tristan Rogers, an educational studies major from Oak Park, and Rebekah Park, a biology major with a secondary education concentration from Wilmette.

Two Students Named Peace Fellows

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Two Illinois Wesleyan students, Marie-Claudine Villacorta and Monica Shah, are the latest additions to the Peace Fellows Program, which names two students as Peace Fellows annually. The students agree to a two-year commitment during which they will complete three courses outside their major devoted to the study of peace, complete an independent study and complete an off-campus internship in the United States or abroad.

The Peace Fellows Program was established in 2007 by alumnus John Stutzman and his wife, Erma. The program is open to first and second year Illinois Wesleyan students from all disciplines who are interested in commitment and dedication to peace and social justice.

Qualifications require the students to undergo an application process involving writing a personal statement, submitting a plan for their two years of study, expected coursework, ideas for a research topic and internship and an interview with the selection committee of the Peace Fellows Program.

The selection committee for this year’s Peace Fellows Program included Irving Epstein, professor of educational studies; James Simeone, associate professor of political science; Paul Bushnell, professor of history and Abigail Jahiel, associate professor of environmental and international studies.

As part of her mission in life, Villacorta, a senior international studies and French double major, has developed an interest in discovering peace and conflict resolutions based on her personal knowledge of growing up in the Philippines where she learned, firsthand, the consequences of unstable governments, civil wars, bombings and terrorism.

“Being a Peace Fellow will allow me to contribute toward achieving the goal of eventually helping my family, fellow Filipinos and people from different parts of the world who struggle with the issues of living in a conflicted area,” said Villacorta.

In addition to being a part of the Peace Fellows Program, Villacorta will partake in the Washington Semester Program in the fall, during which students study for an entire semester in Washington, D.C. at American University. She will intern with an international organization that works toward development in Africa and this internship will fulfill the Peace Fellows requirement. Villacorta will also research non-genocidal societies in Africa, in hopes of finding sustainable solutions for resolving conflict and preventing violence as her independent study project.

“My study will be interdisciplinary. I believe that conflicts are not only political but also anthropological and at their core, economic in nature. Conflict resolution incorporating all of these disciplines provides a process platform to address differences rooted in social justice,” said Villacorta.

Shah, a junior international studies major, applied to become a Peace Fellow because it will aid her in achieving her future goals of working with an international organization and teaching at the high school or college level, introducing international and peace issues to her classes.

This past semester Shah studied in Washington D.C., interning at the Council of Hemispheric Affairs, a nonprofit research organization that increases awareness of political affairs in Latin America and their relations with the United States, writing articles for their journal, Washington Report on the Hemisphere, and their Web site, www.coha.org. This summer she will intern in Chicago at the office of Senator Barack Obama.

While in Washington D.C., Shah also researched peaceful resolution of conflict through diplomatic efforts of international organizations as her independent study project. She conducted interviews with United Nations (U.N.) officials, did a study of the U.N. Security Council and will continue to research the effectiveness of the U.N. in promoting peacekeeping and using diplomacy and the promotion of human rights.

“Many people think that institutions like the U.N. are ineffective. However, many of their peacekeeping and diplomatic missions are ‘quiet successes,’” said Shah.

New Graduate Awarded Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – 2008 Illinois Wesleyan University graduate Nicholas Timme, a philosophy and physics double major, has been awarded a Fellowship by The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi for the 2008-2009 academic year.

The fellowship will enable Timme, of Bloomington, to pursue a doctorate in physics at Indiana University. Timme is one of 100 students nationwide to receive the Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship and Award of Excellence this year. Currently, 60 Fellowships of $5,000 and 40 Awards of Excellence of $2,000 are given each year to deserving students for first-year graduate study.

The selection process for the Phi Kappa Phi Fellowships and awards of Excellence is based on the applicants’ undergraduate academic performance; leadership and service on campus and in the community; evidence of undergraduate potential; a personal statement of educational perspective, purpose and objectives; and evaluation reports from three individuals who are in a position to attest to the student’s performance, citizenship and character.

Student Lands Prestigious Wall Street Internship

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University sophomore Babawande Afolabi understands poverty; he grew up seeing it everyday in his homeland of Nigeria.

“People cannot afford to eat, feed their children or send them to school,” said Afolabi, who came to the United States in 2006 to attend Illinois Wesleyan. “The majority of the people in Nigeria live in rural areas, and these are the people who really feel the pangs of poverty.”

Afolabi arrived in America intent on finding a way to help his home country. Here, he discovered the emerging concept of “microloans,” small loans to individuals to help them start businesses. “Giving people microloans means giving them a shot at life,” said Afolabi. “Small businesses give people the means to send children to school, hopefully raising the literacy rates and lowering crime. It provides a new foundation for society.”

Focused on his pursuit of bringing microloans to Nigeria, Afolabi applied for an internship with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), which places minority students with some of the top companies in the nation. Of the more than 5,000 students who applied for internships through SEO, Afolabi is one of only 438 students to receive an internship, working this summer for Morgan Stanley on Wall Street.

“All of this will help when I return to Nigeria and speak to financial institutions there about creating a microloan program,” said Afolabi, whose own father had a business idea that died away because he could not secure a loan for as little as $200. “My father’s business idea could not flourish because he had no money, no collateral and no connections to make it happen,” said Afolabi. “There are so many people like him. I hope microloans can help. I hope they can be a lifeline for my people.”

The SEO Career Program most often works with college juniors, placing them in seven categories of internships, ranging from accounting and corporate law to global corporate finance leadership. Afolabi, whose internship is in investment banking, is one of only 48 sophomores granted an SEO internship this summer. Afolabi will begin his internship May 19 with intensive training in New York through SEO.

Students Pursue Study Abroad in the Developing World

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – When junior Jacob Weis decided that he must study in Uganda, he looked to Illinois Wesleyan for his opportunity. “I transferred from another university to Illinois Wesleyan so that I could spend a semester in Africa,” said Weis, who will study this fall in Kampala, Uganda’s capital city, and will also visit Rwanda as part of an Illinois Wesleyan-affiliated study abroad program, School for International Training (SIT).

SIT offers field-based, experiential programs for undergraduate students in nearly 50 countries on six continents. Weis chose Uganda after viewing the film Invisible Children, a documentary about the effects of the on-going civil war on the people of Northern Uganda.

Weis has spent his time at Illinois Wesleyan preparing for the trip, during which he will focus his studies on the Ugandan educational system. “I hope that through my studies I will be able to see what needs to change to help Uganda progress as a country,” said Weis. He plans to research Ugandan culture, educational opportunities, teaching style, opportunities for higher education, and how middle schools are run.

Illinois Wesleyan junior Angela Rumsey was also inspired to travel to Uganda after seeing the film Invisible Children. A Lombard, Ill. native, Rumsey traveled to Kampala, where she attended classes and completed a six-week internship through SIT during the Fall 2007 semester.

“I lived with a Ugandan family in Kampala, which is a very modern city, went to school on weekdays, hung out with friends—both Ugandan and American—and went out to eat,” said Rumsey. “In theory, all these things seemed like home, but they were still very different.”

The anthropology and international studies double major with a concentration in development studies chose the SIT program because “I was more interested in being active than just sitting in a different university,” said Rumsey. “I interned with Child Restoration Outreach, an organization that works with disadvantaged children, where I worked with them in classrooms, counseling sessions and just playing outside. It gave me experience that I could have never received just by going to class, even if it was in a different country and culture.”

Senior Offered Fulbright Grant to Teach in Germany

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Jessica Olsen, a senior at Illinois Wesleyan University, has been offered a Fulbright grant to teach in Germany.

Operating in 150 countries worldwide, the Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Envisioned by U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright in 1945, the program promotes a mutual understanding between people of the United States and other countries of the world. Since its inception, nearly 103,000 Americans have studied, taught or researched abroad with the program.

Olsen received a grant through the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Program to help improve English language abilities and knowledge of the United States abroad. Through the program, she will spend 10 months teaching in a German high school.

“This is an unbelievable opportunity to explore what the German education system is like,” said Olsen, an English literature major with a concentration in secondary education and a minor in German. “I hope to share ideas and experiences that I can bring back home.” After her time abroad, the Rockford, Ill., native plans to teach junior high or high school in the United States. “Whether I end up teaching English or German, the Fulbright gives me a chance to combine all of my interests and work with students,” said Olsen.

The third Illinois Wesleyan student awarded a Fulbright in the last five years, Olsen was given the prestigious honor of being awarded two Fulbright grants – one to Germany and one to Austria – before choosing to travel to Germany. “To be able to have a choice is a unique and fantastic opportunity,” said Sonja Fritzsche, associate professor of German and Eastern European Studies and Fulbright advisor for Illinois Wesleyan. “The Fulbright application is a rigorous process and extremely competitive – with Germany being one of the toughest spots to land. This is a very high honor for a graduating senior.”

Undergraduate Journal Showcases Student Research, 16 Years and Counting

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Taking its name from the street that runs through Illinois Wesleyan’s campus, The Park Place Economist is a well-established economic journal published by Illinois Wesleyan undergraduates, and is one of several undergraduate journals at the University.

Students are responsible for gathering submissions, choosing articles, editing and proofreading and planning the layout for publication. Available in print and online, this annual journal is an opportunity for student work to be published, along with the experience to have an active role in the creation of an academic journal.

This year’s edition will feature nine articles discussing a range of issues including financial aid amounts affecting academic performance, gender inequality affecting growth, and capital investment and rural-urban migration in China. Senior economics major and The Park Place Editor-in-Chief, Elizabeth Taylor, worked with a team of 16 students and faculty advisor, Economics Department Chair and Associate Professor of Economics, Robert M. Leekley, to successfully publish its largest edition thus far.

Junior to Study in India on Critical Language Scholarship

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – With the intent to pursue advanced studies of the Hindi language, Illinois Wesleyan University junior Kari Irwin will study at the American Institute for Indian Studies (AIIS) for 10 weeks this summer in Jaipur, India.

A religion and philosophy major from Palatine, Ill., Irwin took a course in intensive Hindi last summer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she learned about the program in Jaipur.

In addition to her acceptance to the AIIS program, Irwin also received a Critical Language Scholarship, which is sponsored by the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is administered by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers.

Critical Language Scholarships are awarded to American students and recent graduates who wish to pursue various levels of intensive overseas study in “critical need” foreign languages. Recipients are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship period and later apply their critical language skills in their professional careers.

Irwin believes that a mastery of Hindi will “not only be useful, but will be necessary” for her research and desired profession. “Following my graduation next year, I hope to research the expression of popular religion in India before beginning by graduate studies in South Asian religions,” said Irwin, who hopes to eventually complete a Ph.D. in South Asian religions with the intent to become a professor.

Political Science Students Traveling to Greece to Present Research

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Seven Illinois Wesleyan students will attend the annual International Association for Political Science Students (IAPSS) Academic Conference & General Assembly in Greece from May 5 through May 11.

The IAPSS Conference is hosted by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the University of Macedonia in Serres. During the conference, the group will present their research entitled, “The Disparity of Knowledge in the Global Context” and attend a series of workshops with students from around the world.

Students attending the conference are: Babawande Afolabi, a sophomore business and economics double major with a minor in political science from Nigeria; Arielle Cassiday, a sophomore international studies major from Spring Grove, Ill.; Andrew Clott, a sophomore political science and sociology double major from Chicago; Maria Gobbi, a first-year international studies major with a French minor from Evanston, Ill.; Charlie Sell, a sophomore political science major from Wauconda, Ill.; Monica Shah, a sophomore international studies major from Downers Grove, Ill.; and Monica Simonin, a first-year anthropology major from Belleville, Ill.

Other students involved in the research, though not attending the conference, are Erica Podrazik, a sophomore political science major from Lombard, Ill. and Nathan Wheatley a sophomore political science major with an economics minor from Glenn Ellyn, Ill.

The students’ conference presentation culminates work that began on the first day of a course taught by Juan Gabriel Gómez Albarello, visiting assistant professor of political science. In the syllabus for his class “The Politics of Developing Societies,” Gómez Albarello asked his students to work on a paper that they could eventually submit to a conference. Under their professor’s direction, the students began to collect data to construct a preliminary version of the paper, which investigated the inconsistency of sources that scholars cite in political science research articles.

Their research revealed that in political science articles, citations of scholars writing in Western nations vastly outweigh citations of scholars from developing countries. After compiling their research into a formal report, the students discovered that, of the 53 articles included in the study, 86 percent of the cited sources were from the United States and the United Kingdom, rather than citing sources produced in developing nations. This vast source disparity between Western countries and developing nations in scholarly articles is “not just a bias,” said student Nathan Wheatley. “It’s a reflection of a neo-colonial relationship that mirrors the relationship between the former colonies and their former colonizers on every level— economic, social, political and now educational.”

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