Jenny Campfield ’13
Elementary Education major from Caledonia, Mich.
Destination: Uganda
“Standing on the runway at the Entebbe International Airport, my heart and head were racing. What the next four weeks had in store, I didn’t have a clue, but I knew my heart wanted little more than to pour out love into the lives of the children I was about to work with. Never could I have imagined the change and growth that was about to take place within my own heart.
As an individual who has, for many years, desired to teach internationally, I was taken aback by the differences in educational systems, in all things from classroom structure to teaching methods to the physical environment of the school. The first night that I tutored children enrolled in secondary school, I found myself instead being taught by them. I had never before seen the math methods that they were using. Now, I know that before I teach abroad, I must take a sufficient period of time to immerse myself in the culture.
Above and beyond everything else, though, this P-Global experience in Uganda has reinforced my personal belief that we all have a duty and responsibility to do something, anything, to make this world a better place. We must do each of these actions, no matter how big or small, out of love. Yes, these efforts may be difficult and may place us in situations that push and stretch us in ways that we never thought possible, but it is the love of others and the knowledge of their needs that will drive us forward.”
