Education major volunteers in Kenya

Justine Brancato ’13 spent two weeks student teaching in Africa this summer on a volunteer mission she organized and raised funds for herself.

Words by Melisa Easaw '13

Justine Brancato ’13, a special education and psychology double major, spent two weeks student teaching in Africa this summer on a volunteer mission she organized and raised funds for herself.

Brancato traveled to Alego, a village in Kenya, where she volunteered with the Alego Community Development Project, a nonprofit that focuses on educational, social, and economic development. During her two weeks there, she worked at the Priska Orimba Nursery School, helping teachers grade papers, and taught English to 4- to 5-year-old students. She also taught English, math, and social studies to first through eighth graders at Alego Primary School.

Brancato said a major factor in her decision to make the trip is her interest in urban education.

“I love teaching all students, but I feel a special connection with students who come from poorer urban communities because I know I can make such a huge difference in their lives,” Brancato said.

In Kenya, government-funded education ends after eighth grade, and high school can cost upward of $3,500 (U.S.), an amount many in Alego can’t afford, Brancato explained. “These kids are in a mud-floor, brick-walled school building, and many of them don’t have what they need to go further with their education,” Brancato said.

The junior education major plans to discuss her trip with members of Kappa Delta Pi, the education honor society, in hopes of bringing more student teachers to Alego. She plans to return there herself after graduating.

“Student teaching in Kenya was a perfect opportunity because it allowed me to make a difference in the lives of students who need it the most: students who display such an eagerness to learn but who lack the appropriate materials or support to excel,” said Brancato.