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St. Olaf students receive money for peace-justice study

by Kris Thalhammer
July 15, 2003

Four St. Olaf students will be studying about peace and justice in Russia, Mexico, Honduras, and Minnesota this summer with support from the Kloeck-Jenson Endowment for Peace and Justice.

Erin Callaghan '05, a political science and Hispanic studies major will be spending her summer internship in Honduras. Callaghan will serve as a program director for Amigos de las Americas, a nonprofit organization that encourages leadership development, cultural exchange and public health and sanitation in the town of la Esperanza, Honduras. Among other responsibilities, Callaghan will be working to supervise and support the efforts of other volunteers in indigenous communities.

"What better place to learn about injustice than working side-by-side with indigenous people...By working with international aid relief programs, I will learn how to fight injustice and help communities help themselves in concrete and sustainable ways," Callaghan wrote in her proposal. Callaghan worked as a volunteer for Amigos de las Americas in Costa Rica.

Liv Sulerud, a junior religion major, will be working in St. Paul with Friends for a NonViolent World During her 10-week internship, Sulerud will live with the Quaker community and work at least 300 hours organizing on one of the group's ongoing projects, such as their Alternatives to Violence Project. Sulerud, who has been a member of the leadership team of St. Olaf's peace and justice student group and participated in the St. Olaf Environmental coalition and People for Peace and Goodwill in Northfield, has previously interned on an organic farm.

"Being in community means fully engaging in our common struggles and fears in order that we may truly be able to celebrate our living together in joy and hope," Sulerud wrote in her application. "Through study, ritual and meditation, the world's spiritual traditions and social movements offer guidance and hope."

Michael Shoemaker, a junior Sociology-Anthropology and Asian Studies double major will be participating in a four-week course at the Institute for International Mediation and Conflict Resolution in Monterrey, Mexico. The institute is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization that links professionals in the field of conflict resolution and peace-building with those seeking training and expertise. "In my opinion, the biggest strength of the program is the practical application of theories behind peace and justice," Shoemaker stated. "I hope that the IIMCR symposium will transform my perspective on peace end justice from one based on idealism to one based in practical solutions."

Pamela Parnell, a junior double majoring in American Studies and Russian Studies, will be exploring the potential for introducing and adapting voluntarism to students and citizens in Krasnodar, Russia. Parnell, who visited Krasnodar as a student last fall, left with questions about voluntarism in the US and Russian settings she hopes to address during her three months at Kuban State University. In addition to teaching English at Kuban State, Parnell plans to interact with non-governmental organizations to learn more about Russian conceptualizations of voluntarism and to familiarize interested Russians with US traditions and practices of voluntarism.

The scholarships, which help to cover students' transportation to and living expenses during internships related to peace and justice, were offered for the first time this academic year. Three earlier recipients completed internships in January and February: Emily Sandgren worked with WATCH as a court monitor for victims of domestic abuse in St. Paul; Anna Heinz worked with the Bethel no-profit organization in their work with people with mental or physical handicaps; and Sarah I. Olson worked with ECLOF (the Ecumenical Church Loan Fund), a Christian microcredit organization operating in the Dominican Republic.

The scholarships are part of an endowment to honor the memory of Scott Kloeck-Jenson (St. Olaf class of 1988), who was killed along with his wife and two children in an automobile accident in South Africa. More than $8,000 was given by the Kloeck-Jenson Endowment for Peace and Justice scholarships this year.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.