A small group of CSU students who traveled to Uganda and Rwanda as part of their involvement in the President’s Leadership Program (PLP) has been forever changed by the experience. The seven students, who are in various stages of work for a minor in Interdisciplinary Leadership Studies through PLP, spent 14 days in May in East Africa on the program’s first international trip since the pandemic.
A major focus of the experience, which is facilitated by SLiCE (Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement), is expanding students’ cultural awareness (CQ). Below, some of the students share their experiences on the trip.
What attracted you to PLP, and how long have you been involved?
JORJA WHITE: I love PLP! It has literally changed and shaped my entire college experience. I’ve been in PLP since my freshman year and when I first joined the program, I thought I would be strengthening my individual technical leadership skills. I stayed because the classes, curriculum and people did so much more than that. I think what makes this program so unique is that it’s not simply about learning about the behaviors or identities that make someone a good leader, it is an entire deconstruction and reconstruction about what leadership is, what it means to lead, and how our identities and lived experiences culminate to create our beautiful and dynamic relationships with each other. My teachers and peers in this program are some of the most amazing people that I have met in my time on campus and honestly in my life. These people are going to change the world and I am so grateful that I have made lifetime connections with all of them! – Jorja is third-year student majoring psychology and sociology with a minor in Interdisciplinary Leadership Studies.
MAKENZIE PATTERSON: During my freshman summer orientation, I visited a session about PLP. Mo was energetic and enthusiastic about the program which initially stole my interest. However, I knew that I wanted to pursue the minor when I learned about the global leadership experience, the classroom style being discussion based, and the service opportunities. I am currently a second year PLP student. – Makenzie is a second-year student majoring in Supply Chain Management.
Is this your first trip abroad? Where else have you traveled?
VALERIA VALLES CASTEÑEDA: I have been very lucky in having the opportunity to travel abroad. My summers growing up were spent in Mexico visiting my family. My heart is always in Chihuahua and Nayarit. Once I was older, I had the opportunity to go on my first solo trip where I visited Lima, Peru in 2021. I believe that these experiences allowed me to have a different perspective in Uganda and Rwanda. – Valeria is a third-year transfer student majoring in social work, working on a minor in Interdisciplinary Leadership Studies.
What did you do to prepare for this trip?
MEGAN HAGER: Our group met about once a week to discuss cultural intelligence, as well as get to know each other. Occasionally, we had guest speakers who would help us dive deeper into these topics. Outside of our pre-trip meetings, PLP did an excellent job preparing me. Spending three years in a program that is focused on being culturally sensitive, creating change, and making a positive impact was indisputably critical to my experience in Uganda and Rwanda. – Megan is fourth-year student double-majoring in biomedical science and cognitive and behavioral neuroscience, with a minor in Interdisciplinary Leadership Studies.
JORJA: Our team did so much to prepare for this trip! While we all spent time getting the required immunizations, visas, and other documentation for our trip, most of our preparation time was spent in a classroom engaging in dialogue and building the framework to allow this trip to be truly impactful and transformational for all of us. Building an understanding of Cultural Intelligence in leadership was a necessary step in allowing us to immerse ourselves in the beauty and knowledge that Uganda and Rwanda had to offer us. For months in advance, our team talked about our motivations for going on this trip and our expectations for when we got there. We analyzed our own cultural characteristics and compared them to those cherished by East Africans and Ugandans, and we created our own group culture of openness, authenticity, and most of all, of learning. This allowed each one of us to develop a unique framework for travel that I feel like many spend their whole lives working toward. During this time, we were able to begin dismantling many of our own misconceptions or “natural” ways of being that might disrupt us from fully engaging in a culture that is drastically different from our own. This preparation paid off, I have never been part of a team where each person shows up so fully and so authentically before this trip and give credit to all of the prework we did beforehand!
VALERIA: So much went into preparing for this life-changing trip. Looking back, I believe the most important ones for me included having honest conversations and building support systems. Being someone that comes from different cross-cultural experiences than my peers, I knew that my personal learnings on the trip were going to be different. Therefore, what I needed to prepare for this trip also needed to be different. I felt confident in how I would show up to this new space. Being a daughter of immigrants raised in a Spanish speaking home, I believe myself to be very resilient and adaptable when immersing myself into different cultures. My goal was always to be respectful and present in Uganda and Rwanda. I read the news and kept myself informed on their different cultural practices to provide myself with context. I also benefited greatly in the pre-trip meetings held by our PLP instructors. It allowed me to see my areas of growth in terms of cultural intelligence. All of this I did while also keeping an open mind and an open heart when the time came to experience these cultures for myself. As someone who has seen and experienced racial discrimination, discrimination of citizenship status, among others, I found myself doing research to understand how my peers and I would be perceived going to a new country. Although I did not expect to experience this in Uganda and Rwanda, it is a precaution that most people of color and people with marginalized identities must take. In my research I found extensive information about racially white identities traveling to Africa while I only found one blog about a Mexican woman having the same experience. With the scarcity of research, I leaned on my instructors to ask for their support and reassurance by sharing their perspectives of the countries. I also leaned heavily on my parents’ advice and encouragement. Although they have never traveled to another continent, their knowledge and experiences as immigrants allowed me to feel confident that I too can visit and thrive in new cultures. I believe that all these steps to prepare for my trip allowed me to enjoy the experiences and be present.
What surprised you about this trip?
MAKENZIE: There were so many aspects of this trip that surprised me, including surprise at my own internal experience and surprise about the external events and interactions that occurred. First, there were noticeable differences in how the CSU PLP group dealt with cultural differences and/or interacted with the people we met differently than how the other school’s students or people in our group that hadn’t done the prep showed up. Most of us had the preparation and a higher level of awareness that made me extremely grateful for our meetings and for the group. Second, I learned a lot about my own ability to adapt to uncertain situations in an unfamiliar environment. When we were in Uganda, I struggled with managing anxiety. We were focused so much on “being,” as in being present with people and relationships, not our own “busyness,” while here in the States, I feel that our culture focuses heavily on being productive, in which I am able to cover up anxiety with productivity and familiarity. Lastly, I was surprised by the major presence of Christianity in Uganda. I was not sure how religion showed up in Uganda before arriving. Throughout my time in Uganda, I felt at ease, almost a sense of comfort and home, which I hadn’t experienced in a long time. By contrast, I know that many individuals in the group had different experience based on their personal identities and past experiences with religion which might have shaped their experience in Uganda much differently.
VALERIA: Something that I did not expect on this trip was the feeling of nostalgia as I experienced Africa for the first time. This occurred the second I stepped out of the airport. I felt a sense of home. A feeling very similar to when I travel to Mexico. Things felt safe and right. This wasn’t just with the environment. It was also with the people. I was lucky enough to travel with people I consider lifelong friends now. However, a few months ago some of them were complete strangers. Being in such a loving and welcoming culture allowed nothing but connectedness. Ugandan culture is wonderful. It’s rooted in collectivism and acts of service. Being that my culture holds similar attributes, it created a special bond and made sense to the feeling of home in a place that I have never been before.
What was your favorite experience?
MEGAN: My favorite experience was chatting with a shopkeeper in Kampala. She recognized me as an Asian person, and I told her I am Korean. Without hesitation she exclaimed, “Annyeonghaseyo!” which means “hello.” I was so taken aback and pleasantly surprised, and we exchanged a few phrases in Korean. It was wonderful. Since I am biracial, I am often misidentified in America, but in Uganda people could recognize me and see my heritage. It felt very special.
JORJA: During our trip we spent a few days at Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale, Uganda. Lake Bunyonyi was created from a Volcanic crater and the hills that surround it a beautifully terraced from top to bottom to accommodate the wealth of farming done by local community members in the area. One day, our amazing friend Bright took us to his village to interact with the community. As soon as we arrived the kids flooded towards us and immediately two small girls came toward me with the widest smiles I’ve ever seen and just grabbed each of my hands. We sat and played for a while and then I pulled a pen out from my bag and handed it to one of the young girls. She took it and asked if she could show me the words she was learning in school. I said yes and she began scribbling 4 lettered words across my arm (the only open space we had to write). Something about her excitement to show me this knowledge that she was so proud was just so special to me. By the end of the hour, we had spent together, my entire arm was covered with words and as I looked down, I knew they weren’t random. “Brother,” “sister,” “tree,” “welcome,” and “love.” Whether she meant to or not, this little girl gifted me with a piece of herself. She inscribed the letters of her community onto my skin, and they remain there today just as vivid as they were before even though the ink washed off months ago. To me this experience is the essence of this trip overall. We shared so much with so many of the people of Uganda and I am forever grateful to just be able to love and be loved in this space.
What challenges did you face?
VALERIA: One of the biggest challenges I faced was learning to let go. The last day of the trip was particularly hard for me. I had a sense of longing for something that was not yet over. I was conflicted with the idea of going back to a space that did not accept me how Uganda and Rwanda had accepted me. I was so busy preparing to enter this space that I never thought about preparing to let go. Leaving was inevitable and now that I am back in Fort Collins, I realize that Uganda and Rwanda and all the friendships and memories I made did not leave. I can honestly say that they became stronger and more meaningful. Although I cannot say that I have mastered the art of letting go. I feel a sense of comfort knowing that I am capable of accomplishing it and coming out of it stronger and wiser.
MAKENZIE: As I mentioned previously, I struggled with some baseline anxiety. Also, this was a profound experience that made me question anything about my life, whether that is the direction of my career, goals, relationships, religion, and generally, the way that I understand people, culture, and travel. This questioning is necessary for growth, and it can also be uncomfortable at times. However, I was lucky that I could trust my group to dive into difficult conversations to better understand our experiences. Based on personal identity and experience everyone engaged with this trip differently and with a unique perspective. I am thankful that I was trusted enough in the space to lend an open ear and to also share different things that I was experiencing.
How do you think this experience will impact your future?
MEGAN: This experience has already informed my future. I hope to work with GLI again, as they have an exciting mental health internship next summer that I would love to be involved in. Above all else, I have been truly and deeply inspired to pursue change within my career. I have always been content with the thought of helping people by just being a doctor, but now I see so much more value in being one who also fights for systemic change. Experiencing the incredible selflessness and altruism of the Ugandans and Rwandans I met has inspired me. Our lives are short, and we should be dedicating ourselves to making the biggest positive impact possible.
MAKENZIE: Uganda was healing. The experience was educational and informative, and it also offered a deep personal contemplation within me that is completely inaccessible within a comfortable setting like home. It was hard to return home and still be unsure about how to use what I have learned from the trip. Above all else, since returning home, I am more focused on connecting with people and taking the time to do so.
VALERIA: Uganda and Rwanda showed me what it is like to participate in a ‘being’ culture. I have grown accustomed to a fast-paced life that sitting still felt uncomfortable at first. It was then that I realized how I have placed my identity in my responsibilities rather than my interests, passions, and beliefs. Seeing this inspired me to detach from responsibility and give myself time and space to rediscover who I am. I have never felt such relief like I felt in Uganda and Rwanda. I became very connected to myself because for once I was letting my mind and body tell me what I needed.
JORJA: This trip was, without a doubt, life changing. I experienced so much unconditional love and affection in Uganda. The effects of a culture that practices love and kindness through language, through dance, through art, through touch, though smiles and through “being” instead of “doing” are radical. The happiness and authenticity, and most of all the human connection, that are produced through these practices is transformational. This is what I want to bring back from my trip. The smiles of the people of Uganda will impact my future as I work to give others what they gave to me, loving kindness with no prerequisites and no conditions.
A BROADER UNDERSTANDING
Students gain leadership perspective through Ugandan cultural excursion
A small group of CSU students who traveled to Uganda and Rwanda as part of their involvement in the President’s Leadership Program (PLP) has been forever changed by the experience.
The seven students, who are in various stages of work for a minor in Interdisciplinary Leadership Studies through PLP, spent 14 days in May in East Africa on the program’s first international trip since the pandemic. A major focus of the experience, which is facilitated by SLiCE (Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement), is expanding students’ cultural awareness (CQ).
According to Dylan Johnson, SLiCE’s Program Coordinator for Leadership Development who accompanied the group on the trip, CQ can be described as an understanding of how culture impacts how we do things, including how we communicate, what foods we eat, or even how we interact socially or for work. “Students are looking into how social empowerment, climate change, adaptation, sexual health and advocacy – even plastics – impact daily choices,” he said.
In widening their cultural awareness, students in the program are asked to appreciate the differences between their own culture and others, to consider how values in other cultures can be equally as valid as their own, and to examine how varying values can drive decision-making on a larger scale.
“On this trip,” Johnson said, “we hoped to cultivate an understanding that there is a broader definition of leadership globally, and how cultural values impact leadership. Specifically, we asked the question: ‘How does collectivism (group before individual) impact leadership?’”
GETTING READY
In preparation for their trip, students completed eight weeks of pre-trip meetings that introduced cultural information and values that would help them engage respectfully in the countries they planned to visit. They were to be accompanied on the trip by Johnson, Mo Moreira (Asst. Director, President’s Leadership Program), and Kathryn Conrad (Basic Needs Program Coordinator, SLiCE).
“We introduced the Sub-Saharan vs. American cultural value difference of ‘being’ as opposed to ‘doing.’ It’s about how Ugandans engage with time – nothing is late, time is just a construct. As Americans, we measure time by how much we do. There’s a difference in how they develop relationships, too; they kind of flip our construct around: ‘Don’t just do something, sit there!’ Students were challenged to learn how to ‘just be.’”
To help students feel more comfortable with the notion, Johnson, who had been to Uganda with an NGO nine times before and who has a cousin who married a Ugandan, asked a friend on campus to speak with them in more authentic detail.
“I asked Robert Serunjogi to come over and introduce Ugandan culture to our students and tell them what to expect. He lives the culture. For example, in Uganda, they believe that you greet everyone the first thing when you enter a room – collectively, you have to introduce yourself before you can be an individual. That is Robert!”
A CSU employee of 20 years, Serunjogi was born in central Uganda, in a small town called Luweero. Robert, who volunteers for CSU’s Little Shop of Physics and works as a custodian at the university, agreed to meet with the PLP students to teach them about East African culture. His discussions around social engagement, including greeting people and sharing meals, and social hierarchies, including familial relationships and economic systems, helped inform students about Ugandan societal values.
His conversations, which were part of pre-trip meetings months before for trip, covered everything from the preparation of food and modes of transportation to clothing styles, education, and music.
“I try to help them prepare for Ugandan culture, because sometimes American culture is much different. In America, the individual is first, but for the Ugandan, everyone works together, everyone is important, it’s collectivism. People help people, support their families, and look after their neighbors.
“In Uganda, we are very friendly for strangers,” Serunjogi said. It’s important to take time to sit with someone. We greet with food – we say, OK, get a plate, and introduce us,” he said.
GETTING THERE
Once on the trip, students participated in a scavenger hunt in Kampala, went on a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and stayed at Entusi Resort on Lake Bunyonyi, courtesy of their host organization, Global Livingston Institute (GLI) in southwestern Uganda. From there, they ventured to Kigali, Rwanda, where they visited the Rwanda Genocide Memorial. Students had two opportunities to meet up with students (Ugandan and Rwandan) their own age, Johnson said.
“For a number of students, it was their first time going on an international trip. I loved giving them that opportunity to appreciate it and not do harm, and to learn with other university students,” Johnson said. “Students left with more relationships they built rather than experiences they had.”
A favorite experience of the trip was visiting Thread of Life, a Ugandan business operated by Florence Bugembe, that helps empower single mothers. Thread of Life teaches crafts, such as sewing, to create items to sell to support their families and get out of the slums. Florence’s perspective impacted students and challenged them to venture outside of their comfort zones, Johnson said.
“Our first impression was getting to know about her organization, Thread of Life,” Valeria Valles Castañeda, a third-year PLP student said. “It is a program that focuses on women regaining their independence. It was clear to me that she is such a person based on the stories she told of the women she has helped. Her caring ways did not stop there, however. Throughout the trip she made the effort to know every person that was traveling and then provide them with what they needed. She would offer hugs at the perfect time, make home remedies to cure a cold, make the BEST luwombo in all of Uganda, and make us laugh when it was needed.
“The last night of the trip, Florence went around the table and expressed gratitude to each individual person on the trip. Her words and reflection will always be something I carry with me. I have never-ending love for her and all that she taught me. I feel so lucky to have someone care and support me all the way from Uganda,” Castañeda said.
PLP’s three-year, 14-credit leadership development experience has a stated mission “to develop active, informed civic leaders who practice ethical, inclusive leadership and embody positive humanitarian characteristics, such as optimism, service to others, passion, mindfulness, and fairness.” If students participate in all three years of PLP, they are eligible to earn the Interdisciplinary Leadership Studies minor. Find out more here.
By Jill Jones, Communications Coordinator
