Ambassadorial Scholar
Luciana is from Fort Collins and is a former Rotary Exchange Student to Germany. She believes that “Rotary promotes an international community that is not indifferent and thus will understand and support someone who is interested in the continent of Africa, a continent many would describe as “hopeless”. While in Ghana, Luci will be working with the Rotary Club of Accra East and the Rotary Club of Ft. Collins on an ongoing community development effort to provide clean drinking water and malaria nets.
By far one of the most rewarding aspects of my time in Ghana has been carrying out my various ambassadorial duties. In addition to frequently attending functions and meetings held by my host club, Accra East, I have put a high premium on community service work. I have enlisted to volunteer at two venues - a primary school on campus and a Liberian refugee camp.
I volunteer each Wednesday at the primary school teaching a first grade class of 57 students English. The task of reaching an overcrowded classroom of 6-7 year-olds is quite daunting at times, especially since this is the first time I work with children of this age group. However, I thoroughly enjoy interacting with the children and have gained new appreciation for the art of teaching. On Wednesday nights, I have also kept busy organizing Spanish conversational dinners for interested Ghanaian and international students. Each week, I recruit enthusiastic students that wish to improve their Spanish and facilitate group discussions on an array of topics. Mondays are reserved for Buduburam, the Liberian refugee camp. 27 miles west of Accra, Buduburam is home to more than 35,000 Liberian refugees. The camp was opened in 1990 by the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) after civil war broke out in Liberia between 1989 and 1996. Another wave of violence would culminate into a second civil war from 1999 – 2003. At Buduburam I have signed up to work for the Center for Youth Empowerment (CYE), a grassroots non-profit NGO founded and run by Liberian refugees. My charge includes forming and training a girls’ soccer team. It is my hope that through soccer girls will have a recreational activity to distract them from the hardships faced on camp and also serve as a means for meeting new people, building self-confidence, and acquiring other skills that might assist them in their daily affairs. Lastly, in an effort to act as a communications outlet between the United States and Ghana, I have continued writing a weekly article for my university paper, The Rocky Mountain Collegian. As a columnist reporting from overseas, it is my intention to provide readers with a host of engaging articles, ranging from personal experiences to interviews with locals on relevant issues in Ghana and, more broadly, Africa. For those interested, these articles can be found on the Collegian’s website at www.collegian.com. Through these various community service opportunities, I feel as though I have not only gained a wealth of information not accessible through conventional modes of learning, but that I have tapped into a passion for community outreach within myself that I will work towards manifesting in my future career. Rotary has changed my life and I have you, the fellow men and women making up this truly remarkable organization, to thank. Please feel free to view the assortment of pictures I have provided and contact me with any questions or comments at: noel27@simla.colostate.edu. |
The Trustees of the Rotary Foundation have approved the application of Luciana Noel Storelli-Castro of Fort Collins, CO for a 2007-08 Ambassadorial Scholarship. She has been accepted at the University of Ghana in Accra, Ghana. The host Rotary District is 9100.
