Avery Mcnair, ’19
I remember riding in the back of a truck with Michelle and Mr. Aziz (Dalun Titagya mentor). We were on our way back from making our visits to the Titagya schools outside of Dalun. I sat down in the back of the truck because my vertigo became unbearable. The dust from the road hit my body. This irritated me because I was now nauseous and covered in dust. All of a sudden, I see a group of children running to the truck asking if they could get a ride. There were so many children. Mr. Aziz said “come on”. They all hopped in the back of the truck and all I could think about was now “I’m nauseous, dirty and squished.” At this point, I just wanted to get back to the center to take a shower. Suddenly, a child sitting next to me pointed out that I was dusty. I replied “Yes, I know.” Then, she smiled at me and leaned against my arm. In that moment my frustration disappeared She warmed my heart. She showed me that regardless of circumstances a warm friendly greeting can change a person’s feelings from irritation to happiness. That is the best way I can describe my experience in Dalun. It was not easy all the time, but those hardships were always a learning experience and there was always a warm smile and greeting to look forward to.
Rihanna Oumer, ‘21
Hi, my name is Rihanna Oumer! I am a sophomore at Bryn Mawr College. I grew up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and moved to the United States at age 12. This summer, I was a fellow at Simli Radio, a community radio station located in Dalun, Ghana. I have been interested in history and social justice for a while. Therefore, it was exciting to learn from people whose work focused on education, sanitation, bridging the gender gap, and sustaining the culture. I enjoyed sharing books, reflecting, and learning with my co-fellows.
Maria Vivanco, ‘20
My name is Maria Vivanco. I am a current junior studying computer science. During my time at Bryn Mawr and before, I have been involved in many opportunities to push and encourage computer science education to people of underrepresented backgrounds.Through my experience of LTT, I got to experience the IMPACT of computer literacy education and its role in social structures. During LTT, we questioned the role of different forms/types of education and their origin. What notions of education are rooted in racist/classist structures from the era of colonialism? My experience in LTT was less about teaching students computer literacy, but about learning about the practices in which students interact with technology, investigating how schools teach computer literacy, and questioning the role of computer literacy in the categorization of “developed” countries. THrough LTT I also got to learn more about my identity. Asking questions such as: how do we navigate different social structures and how does it influence how we identify ourselves and others? My experience in LTT allowed me to explore my interests in other fields and enhances my perspective on computer science as a field, and thoughtfully question the world around me.
Ian Ogolla, ’21
Hello, my name is Ian Ogolla. I’m a sophomore at Haverford College from Nairobi, Kenya and a prospective Computer Science major. In the past, I have volunteered both as a student mentor and a chaperone at Equity Group Foundation where I provided academic and effusive support to bright but needy students in high schools across Kenya. This past summer, I had a wonderful opportunity to be part of the Lagim Tehi Tuma Fellowship. Through the fellowship, I had the opportunity to collaborate with amazing people both from the US and Ghana. Specifically, I interned at Dalun’s ICT Centre and took part in the Black is Beautiful program. Together, we learned and conceived information that gave me invaluable exposure to Ghana’s educational system, culture, and power history. In the future, I would like to engage myself more as a technology evangelist in activities that address inequalities and level the field of opportunities for all. In my free time, I enjoy reading great African political books and articles.
Titi Bekele, ’21
My name is Tihitina Bekele (Titi for short), and I am a sophomore at BMC. I am planning on majoring in Psychology, and minoring in Education. I am an international student from Ethiopia, and I was really excited to go to Dalun, Ghana this past summer as part of the 2018 LTT fellows. I interned at Titagya School (a kindergarten school). I mostly worked as an assistant teacher in a kindergarten class by helping the students do their class works, and engage in some fun class activities, such as dancing and singing. I also wrote an academic module with the head of the school and the other Titagya fellows. And most of the times we had fun and intellectual activities and conversations with both the UDS and Bi-Co fellows. It was such an awesome opportunity for me to learn about Ghana and its wonderful people. I had so many opportunities to go to the historical sites and the marketplace with friends in the community and from the fellowship. I could say that 2018 summer is the most wonderful summer of all times. Thank you, Ghana! <3