Apwonjo and Study Abroad Connections hosted a panel discussion of current and former students Tuesday night consisting of four members who have traveled to countries in Africa. Lindsey Mullen, Joe Pavlisko, Cassie McCay and Emmanuel Bor were the discussion panelists.

Mullen is a 2009 UA graduate now working in New College. Mullen said she spent a summer in South Africa and after graduation spent time in Kenya working on documentary.

Pavlisko is a junior majoring in political science and economics who traveled to Morocco for four months. In Morocco, Pavlisko said the focus was on learning about Islamic society in the country.

McCay, a junior majoring in marketing and advertising, traveled to Ghana. McCay said in the introduction part of the discussion that a major part of her trip was keeping a journal and comparing the different lifestyles in America and Africa.

The only African panelist was Emmanuel Bor, a graduate student and student athlete. Bor said that he is a native of Kenya, but has traveled to more than ten countries.

The panel discussion was conducted by Linn Groft, president of Apwonjo. Groft asked questions before opening the floor to the audience. There were questions on individual experiences in each visited country, racial discrimination experiences, similarities to own culture, why decisions were made to travel to another country, what was learned about self through traveling experiences and how one learned to appreciate their own home.

“I learned about Ghana time,” McCay said. “There are no clocks or watches or anything like that, maybe except for in the hotel rooms.”

McCay said that there was a lot of time available to just talk with one another because time was not considered extremely important, people just go with the flow.

Bor talked about some of the adjustments he had to make when arriving to America.

“In Kenya the weather is steady in the 70s [degrees], but here it is much hotter,” Bor said. “When I came here I did not know what a hamburger was either.”

McCay recalled a surprising similarity between the Ghana and American cultures.

“When we visited a school, there were some girls that asked one of the girls if she wore stilettos like Beyoncé,” McCay said. “They were also asking us about Michael Jackson and where Tiger Woods lives. Pop culture is more widespread than we assume it to be.”

Mullen commented on the history of racial discrimination in South Africa. She said she went on a date with a black South African man while she was overseas.

“We were holding hands while we were walking down the street,” Mullen recalled. “There were people clapping and saying ‘this is the way South Africa should be;’ it’s considered a part of the ‘new South Africa.’”

Another one of the topics discussed was what each panelist learned about themselves through their traveling experiences. Pavlisko said the experience helped him understand how others viewed Americans.

“I was able to understand how Moroccans look at us,” Pavlisko said. “I was able to see how other people see our culture.”

Members of Kenya native Jane Munga’s Political Science 204 class on international relations and students in global studies classes attended the event.

Katie McConnell, a student in a global studies class, spoke about what she learned from the panel discussion.

“I found it really interesting as someone who wants to study abroad,” McConnell said. “[The panel discussion] helped to expand my horizons on where I want to study abroad.” McConnell said she was especially interested in Pavlisko’s discussion of Morocco and its Islamic culture because of a recent global studies project she worked on about the subject.

Study Abroad Connections president, Andrea Richey, talked about the affect the discussion had on the audience.

“I think it opened up their minds to new perspectives about Africa,” Richey, a senior majoring in German said. “Hopefully, it opened up a lot of their minds to the kind of diversity that actually exists within Africa.”

Groft spoke on behalf of Apwonjo.

“During the month of September, we are focusing on culture,” Groft said. “With this panel discussion we were trying to dispel any misperceptions people may have about Africa by allowing others to share their experiences.

There are different ways for students to get involved with traveling to different countries. Many of the panelists received aid through different resources. Mullen acknowledged how there are many opportunities available.

“Going to another country is so possible [for students] and during college is a great time to go,” Mullen said. “Explore your options and don’t feel limited to study abroad programs. Spend as long as you can in any country you go.”

To learn more about study abroad, Richey said students can join the Study Abroad Connections Facebook group. Students can also visit with faculty members in B.B. Comer Hall. To learn more about Apwonjo, contact them at [email protected]. Dr. Beverly Hawk also encouraged students to visit her office in Ferguson Center Room 232. To learn more about the Alabama in Ghana program, contact Dr. Seth Appiah-Opoku at [email protected].