A Profound Journey Back to the Motherland Past Review

My experience in Cape Town, South Africa allowed me to increase and further my understanding of the unique social, political, and economic challenges and opportunities that post-apartheid South Africa currently faces. At the University of Cape Town, I enrolled in courses such as public policy and advanced South African politics that gave me a deeper insight into the historical legacies of apartheid, the transition and negotiation period, and the beginnings of democratic governance and the modern challenges that the Mandela administration, Mbeki administration, and the current Zuma administration face with nation-building and creating a developmental state. I personally enjoyed volunteering as a math tutor to 9th graders in one of the townships, (Khayelitsha), through the outreach student-led organization at UCT named SHAWCO--Students' Health and Welfare Centres Organisation. I was able to influence the students not only academically to succeed but to become successful and reach their goals, especially being a young African-American woman myself. After I graduate from the University of Rochester in May 2013, I am expecting my study abroad experience and being a Gilman Scholar will have a huge impact on my career and professional life. I want to move to Washington, D.C. and start a career in the area of international relations (my major) more specifically international development in developing countries with special emphasis in African countries.