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METRO.US WEEKEND, FEBRUARY 17-20, 2017
NEWS
Northeastern students make higher-ed history in Cuba Two undergrads are first from a U.S. college to be allowed to work in the communist nation. KRISTIN TOUSSAINT @kristindakota
kristin.toussaint@metro.us
Caroline Bynum and Madeline Drake are having a spring semester unlike any other. The Northeastern University students are living and working in Cuba, immersing themselves in the culture as they become the first U.S. undergrads to take part in such a program in the island nation, the school said. Bynum and Drake, both 21, have been spending their days working for a scientific research organization, focusing on environmental protection while cataloging artifacts and tour-
ing the country. Since arriving in January, they have gotten to know their surroundings well, and often walk down the block to one of the churro stands, where they can get a cone of the sugary fried treats for 20 cents. “As someone who is
stood by Americans, as a result of the history between the two countries.” That torn relationship is on the mend following former President Barack Obama’s decision to lift some trade and travel restrictions in 2015. As Presidential Global Scholars, Bynum and
“As someone who is interested in learning and understanding different cultures, I think this opportunity is important.” Madeline Drake
interested in learning and understanding different cultures, I think this opportunity is important,” Drake told Metro in a phone interview from Havana. The experience, she said, has taught them about a “culture that may be misunder-
Drake are among the 200 Northeastern students each year who participate in an international cooperative education programs. Called co-ops, the program alternates a student’s academic experience with hands-on work, and is one of Northeast-
ern’s signature offerings, said Joani Lamachia, an international affairs co-op coordinator. Bynum, a third-year human services major, and Drake, a fourth-year international affairs major, have explored the island outside Havana. Most recently, the pair traveled to Sancti Spiritus, one of the oldest Cuban settlements as part of their work with the Antonio Núñez Jiménez Foundation, a non-governmental organization. Núñez Jimenez was a noted Cuban anthropologist and revolutionary who was close to Fidel Castro. He is most famous for his yearlong expedition through the Amazon and Caribbean in the late 1980s. During that time, Núñez Jimenez collected hundreds of artifacts along the way that provide a window into the many cultures and people he encountered.
The Antonio Núñez Jiménez Foundation main office in Havana, Cuba PROVIDED BY MADELINE DRAKE
Bynum and Drake have been cataloging these for the foundation’s museum — photographing, numbering and describing each piece. “One of coolest artifacts is a canoe they actually took on the expedition,” which is on display in the museum, Bynum said. “There are necklaces
from the Quechua [indigenous South American] people, baskets, ceramics… They brought back rocks, crocodile heads, tortoise shells — you get a really interesting picture of what they saw on the expedition.” For more information about the program, visit metro.us
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