2023-12-14 18:44:02
Rather than sending 60 slide decks to her students in Kakuma, Hall had her three classes vote for the top five projects that best capture the essence of the assignment. She plans to share these with the students at Elimisha Kakuma in the near future. Sandt’s project is among the slide decks chosen by Hall’s classes to share.
Also, among the entries to be shared is Mia Gagliano’s, who is a mathematics major. Her sense of place encompasses what Hall had hoped her students would glean from this experience.
“To me a place means somewhere that I can feel a sense of community and belonging,” Gagliano said. “It is somewhere that I can feel safe, loved, happy, and be myself. It is somewhere that I am not afraid to show who I am. It is somewhere that I can find the people I love. It is somewhere that people can come together from many different backgrounds and experiences, but all be together, and love the same place at the same time.”
She was moved by the refugee students’ expressions of gratitude and pride in their community, which differed from her initial expectations. The images shared by the refugee students further reinforced the idea of love and unity within their place.
“This project has shifted my sense of place from its physical being to existing in a more emotional state,” said Sandt. “The Kakuma students talked regarding having a sense of belonging in their place, and I might not agree more. I would now define place as wherever you find people who love and appreciate you, wherever you develop memories and personal connections, and wherever you consider significant to your life and who you are or have become.”
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