Kara Compton
Kara spent four weeks in London, England, studying Wrongful Convictions and Human Rights at the CAPA London Centre with professors from the Innocence Project and British Parliament. Her studies led her to visit various UK law schools, courts, prisons, and police stations to discover the current global policies and practices leading to wrongful convictions and learn first-hand alternative rehabilitation programs for an inmate’s re-entry into society. After critically assessing how human rights are determined, and how they are protected within the Courts of the European Union, and the US Constitution, as interpreted by the US Supreme Court, Kara completed her program with the challenge of writing a paper comparing the UK & US justice systems.
While commuting by “the Underground” to her class from an apartment in a minority neighborhood, Kara lived like a Londoner, reading the daily newspaper, having coffee or tea in a cafe, visiting nearby markets, museums, churches, historic sites, and occasionally dining out at the local community center... known as the “English Pub” where she discussed the election of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, the future of Britain with a “No-deal Brexit” from the European Union, and the policies of President Trump. All the while knowing that she was also roaming the streets of her ancestors.
CEE Title: “The WE in Wellness”
Our community engagement experience created an abundance of growth. My fellow cohort members and I were tasked with forming an idea into a reality while utilizing teamwork. This involved a lot of planning, prioritizing, negotiating, networking, and trust. Working on this project granted us life and leadership skills that we will utilize for the rest of our lives. No matter the paths that we take, effective communication and the ability to work with others will be vital for our success. It also taught us the importance of reflection and being able to use your own experiences to positively impact those around you. By hosting a wellness fair focused on global approaches and challenging our attendees to rethink what wellness is, we planted a seed for growth. Attendees left our CEE committing to do more research and consideration on how their actions are harming themselves, their communities, and our world. Our CEE provided us the opportunity to shed light on the fact that the world has a lot to teach us. As attendees visited each of our tables, they got to see how our international experience completely changed our outlook on life and what it means to be happy and healthy. By being able to share our experiences, we hope to have inspired others to go travel and experience what the world has to offer for themselves. Our CEE truly showed that travel is the gift that keeps on giving.