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South African trip enlightens college student
Program part of Ole Miss exchange
By MARY PEREZ
SUN HERALD
Mon, Jul. 31, 2006
MOSS POINT, Miss. — Brittany Chapman of Moss Point returned to the University of Mississippi on Saturday with an incredible story and 400 pictures of her summer vacation.
The sophomore toured the southeastern United States, met with diplomats, visited Washington, D.C., and traveled to South Africa as part of the Lott Leadership Exchange Program.
She brought home African woodcarvings, wall hangings and new insights.
"This has made me want to travel abroad again," she said, but admits she's very happy to be home. After seeing the poverty in parts of South Africa, she said she realized "I'm thankful for what I have."
A Trent Lott Leadership Scholar, Chapman was one of 17 Ole Miss students and 15 students from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa to participate in the monthlong educational exchange program.
Students from both countries met at orientation on the Ole Miss campus and traveled together to Atlanta, Memphis, Little Rock and Washington before flying to Johannesburg. There they visited the Cradle of Mankind and Addo Elephant National Park and shopped at the markets.
In public places in South Africa, Chapman noticed, the different races and three classes interact. But at home, the effects of apartheid are still evident, she said.
"You rarely see mixed communities."
She was surprised when a South African professor told the group that his country used Mississippi as a model when creating apartheid.
While the purpose of the program is to teach leadership, it also developed relationships between the students.
"I didn't expect to make lasting friendships," Chapman remarked, both with South African students and classmates at UM.
She isn't sure how she'll incorporate this summer's experiences into her plans to become a nurse anesthetist, but encourages every student to grab the opportunity to study abroad and learn about other cultures of the world. |
