Interviews! We had some pretty amazing conversations!

My name is Katherine Novinski and I am going to be a sophomore at the University of North Carolina and will be a co-director of Fundraising for Students for Students International next year. I am from Dallas, Texas and am the oldest of six children and am in love with Carolina and its amazing balance between spirit and school and involvement--as well as its amazing weather and most of all amazing people. I am planning on studying political science or public policy or economics and hope to do something in the field of education when I grow up—either work in education administration or on education policy to help improve the education system in the United States. I love to watch Carolina basketball games, to read, listen to lectures, meet new people and hang out with old friends—to dance, sing or just have good long conversations. I am so excited to be a selection delegate for S4Si this summer as I have really enjoyed my time in Zanzibar so far. It has been so much fun to meet new people and to experience a new culture. I have learned so much about the religion of Islam and the practices of modesty, about the Swahili language and the African way of life and have been able to receive a very interesting insight into the education system here in Zanzibar. The country is beautiful as we are situated so near the Indian Ocean and we have been blessed to be able to enjoy the beautiful sunsets and beaches.

I have had the most fun talking to people here, especially the girls we have interviewed. Last week was filled with many new adventures and the meeting of many new people. Within my first week in Zanzibar, we visited both schools where we are funding scholars: Lamumba and Ben Bella. Lamumba is a government school where the students who score highest across the board in all subjects are able to attend and Ben Bella is the school where students who score highest and science and math attend. On Thursday, we interviewed seven girls from the Form II class at Lamumba which was very exciting. It was so cool to listen to their answers to questions such as, “If you could sit down with your President and tell him something, what would you say? If you could help anyone, without limits, who would you help and how? If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?” Some of them had some incredibly well-thought out answers and some spoke very good English–one could even understand me when I was speaking quickly :). They were all very concerned with the state of Education in Zanzibar–the lack of students receiving an education, the lack of resources, the lack of teachers–and all felt that Education was the key to life. Many of the girls want to be doctors because they see there is a lack of doctors in their country and one wanted to study diseases and how they are transmitted and one said that if she could help she would build a hospital for her small town so they do not have to travel forever and build a primary school for the little kids who live to far and never get a chance to go to school. Some talked about telling the President that they believe Zanzibar needs more vocational education, needs to reform the Education system, and needs to end the corruption. One girl said that if she could help anyone she would choose to be the Minister of Education in order to reform the education system. And this is all out of the mouths of 14-15 year olds and all in their second language as their first is Swahili. On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, we interviewed at Ben Bella and were just as impressed. They spoke English so well and you could really see their passion for learning and for their community through their answers. One wanted to help find a cure for AIDS, another wanted to study Malaria and Cholera, one wanted to be a lawyer, and another wanted peace and cooperation between Zanzibar’s President Karume and Tanzania’s President Nikwete. Sitting down to choose the scholars and having to look at their interviews, their applications, their grades, and then to have to read answers to, “How will this scholarship help you and your family?” was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. Some of the girls talked about how it was hard to get to school on time because they could not afford the public transportation. Others wanted money to cover the school fees because they knew it was hard for their parents. They all wanted to be able to afford to buy books to help in their studies because most of them just use library textbooks, because even those who are better off cannot afford textbooks. Plus, the girls are all so sweet and caring and when they smile at you you just want to be able to help them all.