Harpur Fellows make a difference around the world
Students lead projects in Bangladesh, Argentina, NYC and Nigeria
For Auruddha Antaneel, becoming a Harpur Fellow meant finally being able to give back to his hometown of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
鈥淲henever I think about helping someone or something, for me the first factor is always money,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ecause if I don鈥檛 have the money, I don鈥檛 have the mouth to talk about it.鈥
Antaneel was one of four Harpur College students who contributed to international or national communities in the summer of 2017. The other fellows were Tamar Ashdot, Julie Leung and Mmekom Udosen.
The Harpur Fellows program, now in its seventh year, is made possible by the support of Harpur donors and alumni. It is designed to give undergraduates the opportunity to pursue a self-designed project that will serve a community and contribute to the their intellectual and personal growth. Those selected for the fellowship receive up to $4,000 to pursue their project.
Antaneel, a senior double-majoring in economics and philosophy, politics and law, teamed up with the organization Smallfoot to launch 鈥淪mallfoot 鈥 Tech for Kids,鈥 an initiative promoting computer literacy for 20 kids ages 8 through 12 in the slum area of Janata Housing in Mirpur, Dhaka.
鈥淲e want them to be able to use the internet to acquire knowledge to get themselves in a better place, to grow a bigger sense of understanding of the world 鈥 to provide them with opportunities,鈥 Antaneel said.
Smallfoot was created in 2013 by a group of Antaneel鈥檚 friends after they graduated from high school. Because Antaneel enrolled in the Bangladesh Marine Academy (before coming to 黑料视频 in 2015), he was unable to join their effort until now. The organization pays for nine children living in the slum to attend Time International Academy in Dhaka and hosts hands-on experiences, such as team-building exercises. That is something Antaneel said they don鈥檛 get from their curriculum-based education.
鈥淚n my country,鈥 he said, 鈥渆xcept for some wealthy private schools, most of the education is just: You go to school, you read the textbook, you memorize a lot of stuff and you go write exams. I鈥檓 not saying it鈥檚 a bad learning process, but it鈥檚 not optimum.鈥
Smallfoot always planned to begin a computer literacy program, but was never able to raise the money. Because of the Harpur Fellows funding, the organization has purchased 10 laptops that are used every Friday and Saturday to help educate two groups of 10 children.
Antaneel was only in Dhaka for the first three weeks of the program, but could already see its potential when he observed an interaction between a soft-spoken 8-year-old girl named Hasina and a gregarious 10-year-old girl named Morsheda.
鈥淚 was supervising the other kids, and when I came back, I saw that [Morsheda] was standing right behind Hasina, holding her hands and showing her how to type,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t felt so good to just see it and know that 鈥極K, this is going somewhere.鈥欌 鈥 KB
Tamar Ashdot took a melodic approach to learn more about Judaism in Argentina.
鈥淚鈥檓 obviously not Argentinian,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 obviously don鈥檛 speak Spanish as well Argentinians, but I love music and I鈥檓 going to find people who love music. It became, as clich茅 as it sounds, the universal language.鈥
Ashdot, a senior double-majoring majoring in Judaic studies and English, grew up in a secular Israeli-American home and attended a small Jewish day school before pursuing her love of music at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City.
鈥淚 was really living in a small world and then I went to LaGuardia and befriended all of these people that naturally I had never encountered before,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e all hit it off because the thing we had in common was music.鈥
For her project, Ashdot spent three weeks in July and August volunteering at the Jewish day school Escuela J.N. Bialik. Although the nation鈥檚 capital, Buenos Aires, is home to dozens of Jewish day schools, Argentina鈥檚 second-largest city, Rosario, only has one. Ashdot said she chose Rosario because she wanted to go somewhere where her help would be more impactful.
Ashdot, who is fluent in Hebrew and has limited-working proficiency in Spanish, volunteered Mondays through Fridays, primarily in a music class, but also assisted in the English conversation and Hebrew conversation classes. She also spent three nights a week rehearsing at a local synagogue with the Victor Lien Choir, comprised of people ages 10 to 75.
鈥淐ulturally, their Judaism was very vibrant and very alive. Everyone lives their happy secular life and goes to Jewish school,鈥 she said. 鈥淓veryone just assumes that if you鈥檙e Jewish you鈥檒l do Jewish activities. But it鈥檚 not necessarily so correlated all of the time. It was amazing to see this flourishing community and how they are literally devoting their time three nights a week to singing Jewish music.鈥
Ashdot documented her stay though photography and plans to display her work at an art show in November. Although she was in Rosario for less than a month, Ashdot said the project connected her to another side of Judaism and she is excited to return.
鈥淕oing for such a short time and feeling like people knew me and I was a part of the community,鈥 she said, 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 really rare.鈥 鈥 KB
Julie Leung decided to take her Harpur Fellows project in a unique direction.
鈥淢ost of the Harpur Fellows focus on kids or adolescents,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 see a lot of projects focus on the elderly.鈥
Leung, a senior majoring in Chinese studies and minoring in biology, planned 鈥淐hinatown Seniors go on a Field Trip.鈥 The series of summer trips allowed Leung to form a deeper connection with her community.
鈥淚 grew up in Chinatown and during my childhood my mom and my grandpa were big influences in my life,鈥 Leung said. 鈥淭hey helped me develop the moral foundations that I have today.鈥
Raised by her Chinese mother in both Chinatown and Brooklyn, Leung was able to experience Chinatown from inside and outside the community. Leung鈥檚 distinct perspective gave her a place to start, but one course at Harpur College actually set the project in motion.
When Leung took Confucian Ethics with Distinguished Teaching Professor Zu-yan Chen, things just seemed to click. Chen recommended Leung for the Harpur Fellows program, and Leung drew inspiration from his class for her project.
鈥淭hat course made me aware of my cultural background, which helped me choose the Chinatown community,鈥 she said.
Once she found her topic, Leung decided to focus on the senior residents who live in Confucius Plaza, an apartment building in Chinatown.
鈥淚 wanted to supplement their current program by giving them a rare opportunity to go out on trips and explore the city and the culture of New York City,鈥 she said.
Though many of these seniors were born and raised in New York City, quite a few of them had never explored the city.
鈥淥ne of the seniors told me that they had never set foot outside of Chinatown,鈥 Leung recalled.
Leung planned trips to local landmarks, such as the Bronx Zoo and the Oculus, for nice days, and she scheduled movies and karaoke sessions for days that were too hot.
鈥淢y whole project timeline and agenda was very detailed but that definitely was not the case,鈥 she said. 鈥淲hen it came to doing it, a lot of things were adjusted and I learned how to adapt to different settings.鈥
Even though Leung was often adjusting her project on the fly, the program paid off.
鈥淥ne of the seniors said: 鈥業鈥檓 so happy that you鈥檙e doing this for us. No one has ever done this for us before,鈥欌 Leung said. 鈥淗er gratitude really touched me.鈥
The project also gave Leung some insight into her future working as a nurse practitioner.
鈥淚鈥檓 interested in doing geriatric care with the elderly Chinese population,鈥 she said. 鈥淲orking with the senior citizens this summer exposed me to how these interactions are in the real world.鈥
Leung said that everything 鈥 her career aspirations, her Harpur Fellows project and even her daily actions 鈥 boils down to what she learned in Chen鈥檚 Confucian Ethics class.
Four core values of Confucianism 鈥 human virtuosity, ritual propriety, righteousness and filial piety 鈥 now influence all of her actions.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 just learn those things in textbooks,鈥 Leung explained. 鈥淵ou apply them in your own daily life.鈥
Chen鈥檚 influence went above and beyond the classroom, which is why Leung became a Chinese studies major.
鈥淏ack in middle school I had instructors who instilled discipline and a strong work ethic in me, and I saw that again when I took a few gen-ed Chinese courses,鈥 Leung said. 鈥淭hese professors really care about their students鈥 well-being.鈥
By introducing Leung to the Harpur Fellows program, Chen empowered Leung to share her vision with her communities, both on and off campus.
鈥淪tudents are so busy focusing on classes that they don鈥檛 bother exploring the campus and seeing what resources we have,鈥 Leung said. 鈥淚 was fortunate enough to be introduced to this program by the faculty.鈥
As Leung looks toward her future helping underserved communities, she leaves one piece of advice behind for students.
鈥淭ake advantage of the resources that are offered,鈥 Leung said. 鈥淓specially at a great institution like 黑料视频.鈥 鈥 JC
Mmekom Udosen is empowering the next generation of strong women.
Udosen spent her junior year planning her workshop, 鈥淲e Are Iban Ifiok: Raising Queens of Tomorrow.鈥 Iban ifiok means knowledgeable women in Ibibio, a language spoken in her mother鈥檚 hometown of Uyo, which is in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria.
鈥淚 could鈥檝e called it 鈥榃e are Knowledgeable Women,鈥欌 Udosen said. 鈥淏ut I wanted to infuse it with culture as well.鈥
Udosen, a senior double-majoring in Africana studies and integrative neuroscience, wanted to use the Harpur Fellows鈥 resources in a personal and meaningful way.
鈥淚 knew that I wanted to work with kids or my peers,鈥 Udosen said. 鈥淎nd I noticed that I was really good at talking to girls and giving them advice.鈥
Once she narrowed down her audience to adolescent girls, Udosen decided to hold the workshop in Uyo, and began to draw inspiration from the strong women around her.
鈥淢y mom had to endure a lot and had to jump through a lot of hoops to get where she is now,鈥 Udosen explained.
鈥淪ame thing with my mentors; they didn鈥檛 just get there like that,鈥 Udosen said as she snapped her fingers. 鈥淭hey worked hard.鈥
And Udosen worked hard, too. She crafted her workshop carefully, ordering school supplies, sanitary products and souvenirs for the girls, all while reaching out to keynote speakers and panelists.
鈥淚 had to make sure that what I was doing also made sense to them, because I was born and raised [in the United States],鈥 she said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want it to seem like I was the American coming in and telling them what to do. I鈥檓 not trying to take away from their sense of identity.鈥
In an effort to make her workshop inclusive, Udosen reached out to other women for their advice.
鈥淚 created a Google form for anybody who was interested and they each wrote a message on what it means to be a knowledgeable woman,鈥 Udosen said. 鈥淚 put a message in each gift bag for the girls.鈥
After putting in months of hard work, Udosen finally got to share her workshop with 75 girls.
鈥淚t gave them insight into what tomorrow could be, and what they need to do in order to get there,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard being a student and trying to achieve your goals, but if you don鈥檛 have the resources, or the faith in yourself, it鈥檚 even harder.鈥
Udosen, who was raised in Queens, N.Y., is proud to be a Nigerian New Yorker.
鈥淚鈥檝e had my culture instilled in me since day one, and I鈥檓 glad I get to bring that to the borough,鈥 she said. 鈥淏eing Nigerian has a lot to do with what I believe, my work ethic and my desire to help people.鈥
Though she has already helped many people in her 21 years, Udosen is nowhere near finished. She plans to become a doctor after graduation.
For Udosen, being a doctor isn鈥檛 just about making money or collecting data: It鈥檚 about improving her community.
鈥淚 want to open up a free clinic for people in Akwa Ibom once I have the funds,鈥 she said.
With a long road both ahead and behind her, Udosen knows that she is already a powerful woman.
鈥淪uccess isn鈥檛 just money,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about how you feel when you wake up in the morning, how you make yourself feel better when you鈥檙e down.鈥
Although she鈥檚 still wrapping up her fourth year at 黑料视频, Udosen is already setting her next plans in motion.
鈥淚鈥檓 not really sad to leave,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 ready to leave because I鈥檝e been well-equipped.鈥 鈥 JC