April 1,2011 I The Clarion
News
Page 3
IWIL travels to Chicago to study urban culture
A group from Brevard College’s Institute for
Women in Leadership (IWIL) recently spent
spring break studying Chicago’s diverse ethnic
neighborhoods.
The group will provide an in-depth look
at what they learned about the meaning of
community through the trip and a service project
on Monday, April 4. The presentation, which
will begin at 7 p.m. in Dunham Auditorium, is
free and open to the public.
“It was like a cultural pilgrimage to one
of the most diverse cities in the world,” said
Laura Evans, a freshman from Mount Pleasant,
S.C. “After leaving Chicago, I have realized
how both profound and complex the word
‘community’ is.”
The 15 women who made the trip - made
possible by a grant from the Appalachian
College Association - were guests of the
Chicago Center for Urban Life and Culture.
Each day the Chicago Leadership Center
immersed the students in a different
neighborhood. On their first day in the city, they
visited Pilsen, a community famous for Mexican
murals, recent immigrants from Mexico and
even a tortilla factory.
“I was impressed by their commitment to their
heritage and education,” said Savanna Elder, a
freshman education major “They know who
they are.”
Leighia Eggett, a sophomore and member of
the IWIL Steering Committee, was impressed
by a Sri Lankan immigrant who spoke about her
Practice
LSAT
Debate Society/YPA to host
a practice LSAT on Saturday
April 16
Free for all students.
Great practice for anyone
interested in attending law
school.
Test begins at 10 a.m.
For more information on tlie practice LSAT
clieck next week's issue of the Ciarion,
or contact Raipii Hamiett at Hamietra@
brevard.edu
.l+tvb" p.r
JUSTICE
F THK
Brevard College students Kortney Conner and Laura Evans working with students at the Southwest
Youth Collaberative. (Photo by Margaret Brown)
experiences moving to the United States and
growing up with international friends.
“Even though there are a wide variety of
cultures in Chicago, it still takes a proactive
person to fully appreciate that diversity,” said
Eggett, who noticed that some Chicagoans never
visit Pilsen or the East Indian community of
Devon Avenue.
During its trip, IWIL group also participated
in a service project with the Southwest Youth
Collaborative, a community center that advocates
for students in inner city schools. Carah Hoover,
a freshman from Cassellberry, Fla., said that she
will never forget the stories she heard about the
“push out,” expelling students because they
couldn’t meet end-of-year testing standards.
“Hearing stories from students about how they
feel in school will have an impact on my whole
life,” said Hoover “No student should feel like
they leam in prison, with security on every
comer, police departments within the school
and immense amounts of violence.”
The women were most moved by a production
featuring the best of education in the city by
Chicago nonprofit Barrel of Monkeys, which
hosts after school creative writing projects for
third through fifth graders in public schools.
At the end of three months, the group turns the
writing into a play for the students, their families
and the public.
“The Barrel of Monkeys was so great, because
it was unlike any play I’ve seen, and a great
example of how to improve conditions in any
school,” said Bethany Humberg, a freshman
art major
Many of the women experienced firsts on the
trip: their first time flying; their first time using
a city bus; and their first time hearing about
immigration from someone who experienced
it.
“This was an eye-opening experience for the
women who went,” said BC Assistant Dean of
Students Michelle Harvey. “I know this trip will
have a great impact on their lives.”
A group from Brevard College’s Institute for Women in Leadership (IWIL) poses with Jose Guerrero of
Pilsen Mural Tours during a recent trip to Chicago. (Photo by Kortney Conner)