Forging Ties at 15,000 Feet
“Storytelling: gaining compassion through understanding using the lenses of anthropology and philosophy”—that was the theme of the spring 2015 India and Nepal Abroad. Little did the 21 students who traveled with philosophy professor Chris Young, sociology and anthropology professor Dr. Sally Steindorf (US'93, C'97), and resident counselor Julie Sanderude (C'83) know that their newfound connection to Nepal would be called into action soon after their return to campus.
While overseas, each student conducted two immersive research projects—an extensive ethnographic paper and a group multiplatform storytelling project on religion, women, the environment, or education. Two individuals with Principia connections joined the group for part of the trip, providing deep insight and cultural understanding. In India, Ian Anand Forber-Pratt (US’98, C’08), founder of Foster Care India, shared his mission to provide safety and care for India’s estimated 31 million vulnerable or orphaned children. He described his extensive work with state and local organizations to find solutions to this complex issue.
In Nepal, former Principia College biology professor Dr. Mike Rechlin accompanied the entire group for a 10-day trek in the Jomsom region of the Himalayan mountains and taught a unit on community-based forest restoration to the student team focused on the environment. The group was led by guides from 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking and Empowering Women of Nepal, which provide women from rural villages a way to gain independence and earn a living. Encouraging each other along the trail at altitudes of over 15,000 feet led to meaningful conversations and strong connections among the students and guides.
Reaching Out to Help
A few weeks after returning to campus, students presented four short films about what they’d seen and learned to a packed crowd in Wanamaker Hall. Then, early the following morning, news reports of the Nepal earthquake began to reach campus. Students’ immediate concern was for the well-being of their friends and contacts in the region, so they were relieved to learn that everyone in both trekking organizations was accounted for and safe.
That wasn’t enough, though. Students wanted a role in the relief effort. So sophomore Cassidy Alford, along with others, organized a benefit on the St. Louis campus, where they showed their films and accepted donations in support of EWN’s efforts to trek supplies and aid to remote villages.
“The place we have come to love so much needs our help,” Cassidy said. “The abroad expanded my understanding of the world and helped me grow to be a more compassionate world citizen. This benefit was an opportunity to put that into action immediately.”