IMPACT STORIES

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As I advance toward graduation in Spring 2024. I can reflect and see that OSUN has given me experiences that have not only improved my education, but also greatly enhanced my leadership skills and expanded my view of the world. “

—Aaron Masuba

AARON MASUBA Student, BRAC University

“My journey with OSUN began in 2021, when I took the Network Collaborative Course on Visual Storytelling for Civic Engagement. Now I’m helping to develop the first curriculum for the Social Impact Lab at BRAC University, a student-led platform that supports students as they create their own innovative social entrepreneurship projects. As an OSUN Global Media Fellow and a contributor to the Global Commons, I’m honing both my video production and writing skills. I am also attending multiple conferences and workshops around the world, where I present on the tech-based social impact projects I love.”

OSUN’s support gave me opportunities and community ties that have been instrumental in shaping my journey of self discovery, and I look forward to using the skills and knowledge I’ve gained to make a positive impact in my community and beyond.”

—-Uulzhan Bekturova

OSUN’s Global Commons has provided me with invaluable international experience and it’s energized me to work on more innovative projects centered on youth empowerment. Now I can honestly say I believe in the strength of our generation, not just as leaders of tomorrow but leaders of today.”

—-Hephzibah Emereole

ALI HUSSEIN ALADAWY OSUN Human Rights and the Arts Masters Student

“Through the OSUN Center for Human Rights and the Arts MA program, I learned about important issues concerning borders and Indigenous struggles, and the tradition of Black radical struggles to develop a transnational solidarity network between scholars, activists, and artists connected to global grassroots work. I also had the key opportunity to frame my research on intersections between human rights and contemporary art, not only in terms of financialization infrastructures, but also in the context of struggles for political agency, critique, and autonomy.”

HEPHZIBAH EMEREOLE Alumna, Ashesi University

“OSUN’s Global Commons started out as an unformed idea for an online student publication. With two successful issues under our belt, it has become more about the power of collective action and the immense impact that youth can have when working together towards a common goal. As the founding Student Managing Editor, I worked hard with a dynamic team to create something that is successful and growing. Young people have so much to contribute when given enough support and the right tools and platform. Working on this venture has been a transformative experience for me, boosting my self-confidence and helping me to realize my potential as a global leader and my ability to inspire the best in others.“

UULZHAN BEKTUROVA Student, American University of Central Asia

“OSUN has played a significant role in both my academic journey and my personal growth. Originally, I received a microgrant from OSUN to implement my civic engagement project organizing youth workshops about domestic violence in Kyrgyzstan. My passion for social activism sparked, I then studied for a semester at Bard College, where I gained new perspectives on social justice issues. Upon returning to AUCA, I took the Network Collaborative Course on Visual Storytelling for Civic Engagement, which taught me how to create films that address social issues. Now I plan to use my artistic skills to promote gender equity.”

ELENA KIM Visiting Associate Professor of Psychology Bard College Annandale

“My experience as a Visiting Faculty Fellow from American University of Central Asia now at Bard College has provided me with an enriching mix of expanded learning, pedagogical experiments, and a growing network of colleagues and collaborators whose values I share. Being able to develop and teach content based in decolonial psychology, with an eye to diversity and inclusion, has transformed me as an educator, researcher, and activist. I have collaborated with colleagues across OSUN to develop six new psychology courses. I’m integrating social-justice-oriented pedagogy and insights from experiential learning in my teaching. I have also collaborated on an interdisciplinary study of memory, trauma, and imperialism which I am now presenting at universities in the US. Joining the advisory board of a proposed OSUN doctoral program in the humanities and society has allowed me to contribute to curriculum programming and developing research methodology. All of these opportunities have given me the chance to greatly enhance my personal and professional growth. “

FELIX KAPUTU

Visiting Faculty in Literary Studies, Bard College

Simon’s Rock

Originally a professor at Lubumbashi University in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kaputu was illegally imprisoned for political reasons by government security forces and is now unable to return to his country. Since then, he has served as a lecturer in the US, Japan, Belgium, and Poland before being awarded his current Threatened Scholars Integration Initiative fellowship.

“This has been a very good experience. I’ve had time to teach, read, write, and publish my research. Not only do I feel like I am part of educating and teaching students but I am also truly a part of the college community here. This makes me feel like I’m not away from home and the people and things I’m used to. In many ways, I find the same kind of people and relations around me. I also enjoy teaching the OSUN classes because they address large audiences from around the world. For someone who is far from home, it’s like an opening to the continent and the entire globe. I find I’m not only connected to people on campus but I’m also connected to students and organizers from all over. I am working with students who are ambitious about obtaining knowledge and meeting others from all around the world. Their desire to talk and have discussions virtually is so impressive and attractive. I can’t imagine what would have happened without this opportunity to both survive and to thrive academically.”

Galina Yarmanova

Bard College

Berlin Fellow (Ukraine)

“I participated in two or three online seminars for the Threatened Scholars Integration Initiative this winter, and it was such a fantastic experience for me. I especially loved the Writing to Learn workshop. It helped me consider including writing techniques more in my teaching. It was so great that the workshop was experiencebased and organized right before my Intro to Queer Theory course for graduate students. I decided to incorporate writing into all seminars, and both my students and I enjoyed it a lot. I used freewriting in the classroom before, but not in a systematic way. This semester, we used freewriting at each class’s beginning and end. For many of my students, that was the first time they used this technique, and many told me that it helped them with more focused participation in class and with their papers for other courses.”

OSUN’S REACH

675,000+ STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS have participated in OSUN curricular and co-curricular activities

516 FACULTY taught OSUN courses at 26 PARTNER CAMPUSES

400% INCREASE since inception in the number of partner institutions participating in OSUN courses

31,000 REFUGEE AND DISPLACED LEARNERS have participated in higher education and research opportunities through the OSUN Hubs for Connected Learning Initiatives

217,000 FACULTY AND STUDENTS supported by workshops and trainings through the Center for Liberal Arts and Sciences Pedagogy

29,000 READERS engaged with the Democracy Institute’s Review of Democracy journal

373,000+ STUDENTS AND SCHOLARS have joined Solve Climate initiatives

10,000+ TEACHERS AND STUDENTS impacted by ENTEC through online and on-site workshops

16,000 STUDENTS have learned from Global Teaching Fellows