What can you expect from the PDRC (Career Center) if you attend the SIT Graduate Institute? Let me start by saying that we are dedicated to your career success! The PDRC provides ‘cutting edge’ workshops in resume writing, interviewing, salary negotiation and networking. We also provide individual counseling tailored to meet the needs of our diverse students.
Ka Hsaw Wa, PIM 61, Burmese activist and winner of several human rights awards, is highlighted in Total Denial
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| Ka Hsaw Wa in Vermont during his SIT studies. Photo by Total Denial film, Milena Kaneva. |
Being a human rights and environmental activist was not a part of Ka Hsaw Wa’s career plans. Unfortunately, political, social and racial tensions in his home country of Burma left him no other choice. Now, years after being forced into exile, Ka Hsaw Wa, an SIT graduate school alum, is the winner of several human rights awards, the co-founder of EarthRights International, a human and environmental rights organization, and the star of an international documentary, Total Denial, highlighting Ka Hsaw Wa’s role in bringing international corporations to justice for human and environmental atrocities.
Coming this weekend, May 17th and 18th, an admissions counselor from SIT will be at the Green Festival in Chicago at the Navy Pier! Please come by the SIT booth (2120) and check out the SIT materials, info on new programs, and talk to staff and alumni who will be at the Green Festival. SIT has a limited number of free passes to share with prospective students, applicants and alumni, so read on for more details…
Youth programs are becoming increasingly popular and in demand by governments and NGOs globally, either to build youth leadership capacities or to intervene in inter-group conflict dynamics. SIT’s Youth Leadership and Peacebuilding programs have now served over 2500 students and have 22 current programs running or under development in 2008, yet there are few professionals with the range of skills to run these programs. In light of this, SIT and the PIM program are proud to announce a new concentration in two of our degree areas. Within the Conflict Transformation degree it is called “Youth Program Leadership” and in the Social Justice in Intercultural Relations degree area it is called “Youth Program and Social Justice Activism” .
“You’re moving to Vermont?” I must have heard those quizzical words a thousand times before transplanting myself to Brattleboro in the summer of 2006. Friends, family, and colleagues wondered what a self-professed global nomad could possibly find appealing in this small, homogeneous state. Kuwait, Morocco, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Spain, Costa Rica, and Vermont. Which one of these things is not like the other?
As I reflect on my two years here at SIT Graduate Institute, I am amazed at what a rich and rewarding adventure is nestled in a corner of this New England state. My fascination with world travel has always stemmed from a desire to explore the unknown, to enrich my worldview, and to educate myself through personal experience. SIT has allowed me to continue these pursuits by introducing me to a vast array of friends, colleagues, and professors that intrigue, challenge, and collectively teach me about myself and the world around me.
The SIT campus is always bustling with activity and activism. One example is Race for a Reason – an annual event organized through the SIT Net Impact Chapter. Net Impact is a nationwide organization of predominantly business students interested creating change through socially-responsible business. The Race for a Reason is taking place at SIT on May 10 this year. The press release below provides more information on the event – I hope you can join us to support an important cause and have fun!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2008
On May 10, 2008 the Race 4 A Reason committee will welcome the residents of New England and the international community to participate in the 6th annual Race for a Reason to support survivors of the devastating cyclone that struck Bangladesh in November 2007. We graduate students of SIT Graduate Institute in Brattleboro, VT have set a goal of $10,000 for the 5k/10k event, which is designed for walkers and runners of all ages and abilities. This year’s race will be held on campus, winding around the scenic landscape as runners raise money for BRAC USA, an independent non-profit created as a partner to Bangladesh-based BRAC International.
Jeff Unsicker is a Professor at SIT Graduate Institute in the Sustainable Development degree area. A member of the faculty since 1990, he has also served as a dean and interim president of SIT Graduate Institute.
The Graduate Admissions Office asked if I’d add a posting to this blog. I take it as an opportunity to help recruit more students whose experiences and commitments will lead them to the classes I and several faculty colleagues teach in the field of Policy Advocacy – a critically important subject that is almost never taught in colleges or universities.
Stevie Freeman is a current student (PIM 67) in the Sustainable Development degree area. She is a former Peace Corps volunteer and is currently doing her WorkStudy opportunity as an Alternative Energy Coordinator with Andy Martyn Sr., head of the Facilities Department (see Andy’s entry below). In celebration of Earth Day, we are happy to announce the SIT Graduate Institute’s signing of the Presidential Climate Commitment. Read Stevie’s blog entry below to learn about SIT’s Environmental Working Group and some of the exciting projects taking place on campus.
When I was hired as the Alternative Energy Coordinator for SIT Graduate Institute I found myself in a position that seemed to happen often in my life. I was in over my head. I had minimal experience with alternative fuels and a passion to learn the different methods that are out there to reduce our emissions. I began researching and understanding the different paradigms that play out for a university on how they can tackle their efficiency problems. The first step was to create a GreenHouse Gas Inventory (GHGI) to understand where our emissions were coming from and how much over all we were contributing to global warming.
Jesse Gringas discusses his practicum at World Learning, through a placement with Americorps VISTA. Jesse is currently completing the Reflective Practice Phase of his Master degree from SIT in Intercultural Service, Leadership and Management, as well as writing a capstone based on his current position.
Nine months can go by real fast while on-campus at SIT. The small Brattleboro campus jam-packs the year with speakers, events, snow shoeing, canoeing, tabling, protests, petitions, conferences and the like; the Spring wind comes in May and swoops all the students away into the world.
I decided to give it another year and stayed on campus to work as an AmeriCorps VISTA. The extra year has allowed me to really absorb the chaos from the year. Sitting in my little office I get to see the chaos from afar and I can, like a hawk, swoop in and grab an opportunity to work with the new batch of students, see a speaker, attend a conference with more ease and thoughtfulness.
This past March I had an incredible opportunity to go Chile and visit SIT’s Study Abroad program “Culture, Development and Social Justice” based in the eclectic port city of Valparaiso. As a staff member who does not travel internationally for my job, I was eligible to apply for a ‘Staff Scholarship’ to visit one of SIT’s Study Abroad or Experiment in International Living high school study abroad programs. Last May I threw my hat in the ring, and was the lucky winner! After considerable deliberation – after all there are so many amazing places and enticing programs to choose from – I decided to go to Chile, both because I have always been intrigued by this country and because I have a particular interest in Latin America due to my Argentinian roots. The ‘scholarship’ provides for transportation costs to the country and includes a 5-day home-stay with a family.
