Moesha Godwin

International Experience Country:
Australia
Cohort Year:
2016
Home Institution:

Waynesburg University

Heinz Programming Area:
Arts and Culture
International Experience Summary:

Moesha Godwin studied abroad in Adelaide, located in South Australia. While in Adelaide, Moesha took courses focusing on the environment, the indigenous culture and International Health. Moesha extended her studies of the Indigenous culture outside of the classroom by volunteering at a widely indigenous, family-based event known as the NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) week in Adelaide. Moesha volunteered with the children activities throughout the week, helping them paint Aboriginal works of art and celebrate their cultural history. Their cultural celebration consisted of painting red, black, and yellow flags in which these colors seemed to hold great significance to who they were collectively: Red for the land, Black for the people, and yellow for the sun. This flag emphasizes that they are all connected to the land and that unity is everything. Moesha also had the chance to visit Kangaroo Island, which is located 45 minutes off the coast of Adelaide. She had the chance to see the beautiful animals native to Australia such as Koalas, Kangaroos, Sea lions, and she learned how these animals adapt to their surroundings and their significance to the people living in Australia. Along with interacting with the indigenous Australians, she interacted with people from multiple backgrounds. Moesha also met and conversed with people from Singapore, New Zealand, and China. Moesha admired the diversity she came in contact with while abroad, and the knowledge she acquired concerning the Native Australians and their historical culture. This has motivated Moesha to continue building relationships with indigenous people, seeking knowledge on indigenous cultures, and utilizing what she learns in and out of the classroom as an asset for her Clinical Psychology career. 

Community Engagement Experience Summary:

CEE Title:  Hard Conversations: Addressing the –isms

Our CEE was called Hard Conversations: Addressing the -'isms' in which we engaged our guests in a workshop discussion of various topics such as racism, terrorism, tourism, sexism, domestic violence "ism", and poverty "ism" which were witnessed in our host countries abroad and how each are relevant to our present society. Light refreshments from our host countries were provided at our CEE event. There was an icebreaker activity during our introductions. Our guests were ables to anonymously answer yes or no to a few questions that encouraged which station they may want to go to next to learn more about a specific "ism". There were six stations in total, each of which addressed an "ism" topic. At each station, a CEE team member first provided information about the "ism" and then fostered active discussion among the group. There were three rotations of groups to the stations followed by a regroup for reflection and final questions.