Monica Balanoff
Major: Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
The Iraqi Student Project —Teaching Volunteer
Damascus, Syria
Class of 1999 Tucker Fellowship Recipient
Through her fellowship, Monica will be working to help Iraqi students gain opportunities to study at American universities. She will be working with students on honing their English skills and preparing them for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), as well as helping them with the college admissions process and working with them on visa applications, tuition waiver forms, and creating support groups for them once in the United States. Monica's previous teaching experience includes teaching English in Bolivia and her former position as assistant teacher in a Chicago school, where she worked with students with learning and language developmental disorders. Her study of Arabic will also be of use while in Damascus.
Her strength in language and in teaching language effectively and independently will help Monica to succeed in this project. Her value of education "as a right, not a privilege" demonstrates her ability to work with the Iraqi Student Project to "correct injustice in educational opportunities". Additionally, Monica's strong organizational skills will help guide students through the college admissions process, along with enhancing her academic interest in the Middle Eastern Studies, "giving me a more personal view of one part of the Middle East". Monica also hopes that through working with this organization she will help to break down stereotypes in the United States of Iraqi students, "Often people have a mistaken image of Iraqis as terrorists and highly conservative people, due to the images seen on the media." Monica is a very honest person. Her creativity and organization allow her to excel in and leadership position. Monica states that she “was taught from a young age that if I saw something that was wrong or unjust, I should work to change it.” It is this belief and her interest in Middle Eastern affairs that drives Monica’s passion for this Fellowship experience.
Monica has found that placing oneself “outside the normal contexts tends to add to your spiritual growth.” She is particularly excited about Syria because of her family’s roots in the country. Monica believes that establishing a connection with her heritage will aid her in the process of personal growth while on her Fellowship. She is extremely interested immersing herself within the culture of Damascus. Monica believes that she can learn are great deal about herself by only giving back to the community, but also by understanding their beliefs and interests. During the last several years, Monica has begun to “find her own voice” and hopes that her Fellowship experience will continue this process.
Joseph Coleman ’11
Major: Chemistry/ Economics
Experiential Learning International—Public Hospital Volunteer
Buenos Aries, Argentina
Joe will be volunteering at the Rivadavia public hospital in Barrio Norte of Buenos Aires, Argentina. During the week days, Joe will be volunteering at the clinic and performing tasks such as checking vitals, assisting the doctors on their rounds, and working with patients. Joe hopes to spend some of his weekends and free time volunteering at several local HIV/AIDS clinics in the area. During the last year, Joe has been forced to reconstruct many of his life goals and passions. In high school, Joe was always driven to be the best at everything in which he participated. At Dartmouth Joe has learned that this is not only impractical, but also unrewarding. Joe was a member of the Men’s Varsity Lacrosse team. However, due to a persistent knee injury, he was forced to make the very difficult decision not to continue playing for the team. Since that time, Joe has had the chance to redefine himself and his interests. His unexpected free time has given Joe the chance to explore many new opportunities, including this Tucker Fellowship experience. Joe now has a whole new outlook on life, which he believes has changed for the better. Joe is still involved with the lacrosse team in a managerial role. Joe is currently a teacher’s assistant for a lab in the chemistry department. This experience has taught Joe how to work professionally, especially when interacting with his own Dartmouth peers. Last summer Joe taught English and Mathematics to children and young adults in Yambiro, Ecuador. During his time here, Joe learned a great deal about how to communicate and connect with a foreign culture, especially when dealing with a severe language barrier.
One of Joe’s greatest strengths is his ability to adapt to and embrace new cultures. Joe embraces challenges and the chance to overcome them. He is a very respectful, compassionate, dedicated person. Most of all, Joe is a natural leader. Like many students at Dartmouth, Joe has found the premedical curriculum somewhat unrewarding in its ability to provide a medical knowledge. He greatly desires the chance to work hands on with patients. Joe is very aware of his boundaries of his medical knowledge, at the same time is determined to help in any way possible. On a personal level, this fellowship will help Joe determine if medicine in the right career for him. No matter what, it will give Joe a better understanding of healthcare systems, something in which he desires to work with. This Tucker Fellowship will allow him to explore both his academic and intellectual interests. Joe has a great knowledge of the positive and negative aspects of the Argentinean public healthcare system. Joe hopes to attain all of these goals while also serving others in need. He greatly desires to immerse himself deeply into a new culture and meet new, exciting people. He knows that doing service in a foreign place that does not speak his native language will bring about personal growth—something that he is truly excited about. Joe is confident that his experience in Argentina will not only have a profound influence on his own life, but also the community of Barrio Norte.
Jester Galiza ’11
Major: Biology
Awamaki—Health Clinic Volunteer
Cusco, Peru
Russell C. ’48 and Nancy Carlson Tucker Fellow
Jester will be spending his Fellowship in the town of Ollantaytambo in Cusco, Peru volunteering for Awamaki, a small Peruvian non-governmental organization. During his time in Ollantaytambo, Jester will be volunteering at a local clinic. He will be aiding the hospital staff in various ways, including assisting births, taking vital signs, and cleaning wounds. Jester is also a certified EMT. He has been able to practice his medical skills at Dartmouth sporting events taking care of fellow students and community members. Being an EMT has taught Jester a great deal about how to interact with patients from different backgrounds and cultures. He has greatly improved his ability to make quick difficult decisions and be a good listener. Jester believes that his skills and training as an EMT will be valuable in the clinic, especially in his ability to assist with emergency care. In high school, Jester participated in the Big Brother Big Sister program at Kaimiloa Elementary school in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. He continues to work with BBBS at Dartmouth with a new family as it is “truly rewarding to see the growth in my little brother.” Last spring, Jester participated in a spring break mission trip to Kiev, Ukraine through the Navigators. While on this trip, Jester further cultivated his sense of “international sensitivity.”
Jester has experienced more challenges during his first five terms at Dartmouth than during the last eighteen years of his life. He often found himself frustrated, demoralized, and questioning his goals in life. Soon Jester realized that the amount of pressure he was putting on himself was masking him from his true potential. Jester has developed a new sense of conviction, determination, and most importantly self confidence. Jester sees “failure” as an “excellent learning experience and motivation to work harder in pursuit of my goals.” Jester has a very strong work ethic. He is adaptable, flexible, and always motivated to learn and grow as a person. One of Jester’s goals in life is to “never lose or compromise my self-identity to please others.” He has done so through taking risks and exposing himself to new environments, such as going to college 5,000 miles away from his home in Hawaii. During his time at Dartmouth, Jester has experienced and learned to appreciate the many cultural differences that are present within U.S. borders.
This Fellowship will allow Jester to have a direct, positive impact on indigenous communities within and surrounding Ollantaytambo. One day Jester hopes to become a doctor and practice abroad. He believes that being fluent in Spanish will allow him to understand patients better and treat their pain with a greater cultural sensitivity. Jester describes the true values of a doctor as someone who has “a passion for medicine, sincere compassion towards others from diverse backgrounds, and the courage to have the lives of many in your hands.” Jester believes that his Fellowship experience will give him the hands on experience necessary to “develop an understanding of different cultures so that I am better equipped to make a difference.” Upon his return to Dartmouth, Jester hopes to inspire other Dartmouth students to challenge themselves to think about doing service abroad and to realize that we “need to step beyond our borders to get a real glimpse of the world.”
Jamie Hwang
Major: Government
The Selamta Children's Home—Teaching Volunteer
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Jamie will travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to work at the Selamta Children's Home, a local Upper Valley run nonprofit organization. The organization provides stable homes, medical care, and educational opportunities to Ethiopian children orphaned by the AIDS pandemic, starvation, and other curable diseases. Selamta aims to provide these children with loving families, and give their children the means to succeed and become active members of Ethiopian society.
Jamie will be busy each day working in the family homes, tutoring children in English, science, and mathematics, and leading group projects in the afternoons. She will also be conducting a series of projects with the older children centered on reading and poetry groups. Jamie's focus on teaching English and basic grammar both in the school and through after school tutoring will be an invaluable resource to the children at Selamta. Her desire is to "foster thinking outside of the box" and encourage students to use critical analysis in reading comprehension "in order for these children to thrive in an increasingly English-speaking world". Jamie will construct after-school reading groups designed to engage students in critical literary discussions in addition to comprehending major themes in the reading. The students will then write poetry and short stories as a form of creative expression. She hopes to compile and display these works on campus when she returns. She hopes that poetry will help children to address some of the trauma they have experienced in their pasts: "poetry could be useful not only to hone English skills, but also to allow the children to express their emotions in a safe and positive manner as they continue to develop".
Her experience volunteering weekly at local elementary schools through the START program will help Jamie facilitate positive classroom dynamics and motivate students to be imaginative, creative, and work together in the classroom. Jamie has a very positive attitude, and is very persistent and dedicated in every project in which she takes part. Jamie has felt lately that her “heart has changed at the core,” compelling her to find a career that will serve others in need. Her self ambitions have turned into a true compassion and desire to share love with others. Jamie's enthusiasm, flexibility, and willingness to serve will help Jamie throughout her experience in Ethiopia especially considering her interest in government, "Through direct interaction and new relationships, I feel that I will receive invaluable lessons in humanity which I could apply to my future career. If I do decide to one day enter the realm of politics and international development, I believe my experiences at Selamta will instill in me a deep passion to serve the human beings whose daily lives would affected by potential policy decisions."
Spenser Mestel
Major: Middle Eastern Studies/ Government
Galapagos ICE—Teaching Volunteer
Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands
Spenser will be volunteering for the Galapagos ICE (Immerse, Connect, Evolve) program on the Island of Santa Cruz in the Galapagos Islands. He will be spending most of his time teaching at the Delia Ibarra de Valasco Elementary School in Santa Rosa, a small under resourced school in the highlands of the island. While at the school, Spenser will be teaching English to both students and teachers. He will also help prepare the English as a Second Language (ESL) program. During his free time in the afternoons, Spenser hopes to teach tennis to “give children a fun, productive environment in which to spend their free time.”
During a summer break in high school, Spenser was an intern for Fare Start, a non-profit organization that trains homeless people to work in the food industry. At Fare Start, Spenser learned about the amount of work that goes into running a non-profit organization. This experience also taught Spenser about how fortunate and privileged he is in life and the opportunities he has to succeed. Spenser is passionate about environmental sustainability. On campus, he is the sustainability chair at Bones Gate Fraternity. The experience has taught him that good ideas are not always practical and effective, but with persistence one can always make a difference. Spenser also writes opinion articles for The Dartmouth student newspaper. His experiences working for the Dartmouth have taught Spenser how important it is not to make assumptions about any subject or group of people; Spenser believes that it is very important to do adequate research before sharing one’s opinions with others. He will apply this belief to his Tucker Fellowship and the community of Santa Rosa.
While at Dartmouth, Spenser has greatly expanded his thinking about the world and has grown to accept many different opinions. Spenser believes that “having my beliefs scrutinized has only strengthened my resolve.” His college experience has shown Spenser “how little I have learned and how far I have to grow.” This is one of Spenser’s primary motives for partaking in this Fellowship—continuing the path of personal growth. Spenser looks forward to learning as much from the culture he immerses himself in as he teaches his students. Spenser is very good at working with children and resolving conflict.
Spenser takes personal responsibility very seriously; he did not want a “ready-made project,” but wanted to push himself to find and organize the experience that was right for him. Spenser is excited to face the problems in Santa Rosa in a “pragmatic way” and hopes his work will directly benefit the community with which he is working. Spenser believes that this experience will test his “most fundamental spiritual values;” “in no way do I want to romanticize poverty, but I believe that I can withstand hardship in order to practice altruism.” He says he is both excited and terrified by the journey in front of him. Nonetheless, Spenser believes that he has a moral duty to help those less fortunate, and is prepared to do so in Santa Rosa.
