Fulbright Fellowship:
Côte d’Ivoire
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In 2016, I was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship by the US Department of State based on academic excellence and community leadership at the University of Pennsylvania. Along with three other fellows, I worked in youth education for 9 months in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Without a doubt, this was one of the best experiences and years of my LIFE.
When describing my Fellowship, I would say my life fell into three main categories:
Working at Collège Moderne de Cocody
Serving as a good will ambassador for the United States Embassy
Building cross-cultural relationships and a community of my own
Collège Moderne de Cocody
INSTRUCTOR:
My Fellowship was based at Collège Moderne de Cocody, a school of roughly 4,500 students, ages 10-18. Though my technical title was ETA: English Teaching Assistant, I used the role as a vehicle for introducing educational programing on self expression, human rights advocacy, and gender equity.
In this position, I worked with each class at each grade level, circulating through 57 different classes as a guest instructor. Making good use of my Project Management skills, I remained apprised of each grade’s progression through the curriculum so that my own coursework mirrored the same learning objectives as my colleagues.
In class sizes varying from 34 students to 127 (!) students, my colleagues and I came up with creative approaches to group learning including class debates, games, role playing, peer editing, and team projects.
As my students were curious to learn more about the United States, we also discussed American culture, past and present social justice issues (domestically and abroad), its history & traditions, and even hosted our own Ivorian Thanksgiving.
HUMAN RIGHTS CLUB:
To supplement the work we were doing inside the classroom, I also founded a Human Rights Club. For an hour after school each Wednesday, my students and I would use music, dance, skits, narrative, and poetry to explore human rights topics. Song became a particularly powerful way for us to explore different themes, as seen below.
We sang about Human Rights & Inclusivity
We sang about Happiness
And we sang about Self Love … a LOT
US Embassy Ambassadorship
Another facet of my Fellowship was serving as a good will Ambassador for the US Embassy. In my work with youth, I helped organize and keynote education conferences around Ivory Coast, the goals of which were to create new partnerships with educational institutions throughout the country, promote US Embassy resources to students, and encourage young people to create extra-curricular clubs, organizations, and special interest groups of their own. These conferences were an incredible source of joy, connection, and celebration of the power and potential of students!
In my work with adults, I volunteered at the US Embassy’s Andrew Young center for Professional Development by coaching adults in presentation skills, debate, English for working purposes, and resume building.
Cross Cultural Relationship Building
Upon arrival, I was not only welcomed with a new community, but even a new name! My main point of contact at the US Embassy was a woman named Angele Gnako, from the Baoulé tribe. In keeping with the traditions of her tribe, she renamed me for the day of my birth (which she decided was the day I stepped foot on the African continent - Monday), and so Cathryn became Akissi!
Rather than get my own apartment, I asked to live with a host family for the duration of my fellowship. My goal was to live as immersively as possible, and nothing ingratiates you into a culture and community like joining a family. I - the youngest of two at home in the United States - became the oldest host sister of 5 amazing, young women! Sharing meals, stories, and downtime with my host family and colleagues at Collège Moderne de Cocody (CMC) were truly some of my most cherished moments in Ivory Coast.
Other favorite pastimes included shopping at the markets, getting dresses made with local fabrics, taking trips to the beaches at Grand Bassam, eating, eating, eating, attending local celebrations for birthdays & weddings, volunteering at the Andrew Young center for Professional Development, and taking coupé-décalé dance classes.
