Whitney Cyr Makes Honors Program Trip to South Africa

KEENE, N.H. 7/25/11 - At a time when tuitions are going up, Whitney Cyr is making sure she’s getting her money’s worth at Keene State College. Already a successful student athlete as an Honors program journalism major and an All- Conference member of the Owl track team, the junior from Milford, Mass., will have more on her plate this coming semester when she takes over as the editor of the Equinox, the school’s student newspaper.

“I like to keep busy and try as many activities as I can,” said Cyr, who was a three-sport athlete, member of two honor societies, and participated on dance, gymnastics and cheerleader teams at Milford High.

“Whitney has a way of throwing herself into a variety of activities,” said Nancy Lory, an education professor at Keene State. “She’s very much a student who’s engaged, curious, and adventurous.”

Cyr was able to utilize those traits well during a trip to South Africa at the end of the spring semester. She was among eight students who signed up for a course entitled Global Engagement, one of the signature classes and a requirement in the school’s Honors program, which allows sophomore and juniors not only a chance to study and examine numerous aspects of a country outside the United States, but gives them the opportunity to visit the country.

The program, now in its fourth year, has taken students to South Africa, Peru, and Belize. This spring, the students, accompanied by Lory and Anne-Marie Mallon, a faculty member in KSC’s English and Women’s and Gender Studies departments, made a return trip to South Africa.

Cyr, who traveled to Greece and Italy as a senior at Milford High, relished the opportunity to broaden her education beyond the classroom walls. “It was amazing to go there and see first-hand a country we’ve been studying about all semester,” said Cyr.

But there’s one hitch: “The students don’t go to the country as tourists,” Lory emphasizes. “They are going as engaged students.”

During the semester, the students take an in-depth look at the country, examining such aspects as its history, current issues, literature, media, and education. “The students bring a wealth of knowledge with them,” Lory added. “They get a better understanding of what they are seeing.”

“The anticipation grows during the semester,” said Mallon. “What they are studying will come alive for them once they get there.”

The two-week trip is partially funded by the Honors program and the Morris Foundation. The entourage traveled from Boston to Amsterdam and then on to Johannesburg.

The itinerary included stops at the Apartheid Museum, the prison cell of Nelson Mandela, and the soccer stadium that played host to the men’s world cup last year.

The group, which also spent time in Cape Town, made a concerted effort to get to know the people and their culture by visiting several lesser known areas, including Soweto, a populous lower middle class township south of Johannesburg. “I thought the people would be a little resentful toward us, but as soon as we got off the van they started coming over to us,” said Cyr. “At one point, I felt someone by my side and I looked down and there was a small child who just came up to hold my hand. They were the nicest people you’ll ever want to meet.”

“I have never experienced children so demanding of attention and with such joyful spirits,” said Danielle Ireland, a junior education major from Rindge. “These kids have nothing, yet they are so happy. They just want to interact with you.”

Communication wasn’t much of an issue. South Africa has 11 different official languages, including English.

The students arrived in South Africa as the country was transitioning to winter. They stayed in international houses and ate several of the local dishes. “We had a cook in Cape Town who made us all sorts of traditional South African foods,” said Cyr. “It was fabulous. No one left the table hungry.”

One of the main objectives of the trip was to ignite an interest in the students beyond their local community, state, and country. “We challenged them with the question: What does it mean to be a global citizen,” said Mallon. “How do they move beyond being a tourist and visitor to someone who takes in the lessons of a country’s’ history and knows how to apply them to the lessons of our own history?”

Lory noted a recent speech made by Michelle Obama in Johannesburg, in which she talked about the changes in the country in the last 50 years, asking the young people of Johannesburg to think about the future and not accept the status quo. “In turn, we’re trying to inspire and charge our own students to think about their social responsibility, to think about other countries and how they can contribute,” she said.

“I think the trip was an incredible learning and growing experience for everyone on it,” said Ireland. “Together we conquered some intense social obstacles and were witness to some horrific scenes, which definitely expanded my thoughts and feelings about global citizenship.”

Taking the opportunity to visit several of the local marketplaces, Cyr returned home with several souvenirs from her trip, including a hand-crafted bowl, scarf, and pottery, but also a better understanding of the country she visited. “We live in a bubble because we don’t understand the daily struggles that other people in the world have to endure, so it was an eye-opening experience for me,” said Cyr, who along with her fellow KSC students visited an orphanage where they gave the children school supplies. “It made me feel very appreciative for all the things that I have.”