希布尔·赫弗南是一位有抱负的世界公民.
曾在巴西做过交换生, the junior English and international studies major dreams of exploring other cultures and landscapes. 她并没有等待.
内布拉斯加州卫斯理大学大二的时候, she was presented with an opportunity to present her research in 印度.
Gerise赫恩登, professor of English and director of the International Studies Program, first met Heffernan in her Archway Seminar for first-year students and later in her international studies courses. Herndon recognized Heffernan’s fascination with 印度 and encouraged her to attend the Future of Women Conference held in Bengaluru, 印度.
让它成为现实, Heffernan and Herndon applied for Student-Faculty Collaborative 研究 funds that would financially support their research on female literacy rates in Brazil and Mozambique and travel costs to present their research.
“Student-Faculty Collaborative funding for research and creative endeavor can confer crucial experience and advantages for prestige scholarships, 研究生院, 或者未来的专业研究,赫恩登说.
While Brazil and Mozambique are an ocean apart, they bare similar histories. 两国都是葡萄牙的殖民地, 对于这些起源, they hold some cultural similarities apart from sharing the Portuguese language. Both have been challenged by low literacy gaps of women and the resulting socioeconomic disparities in the last century.
在赫恩登最初的指导下, Heffernan created a study that was unique and complimented her own experiences.
“I wouldn't have even thought of doing comparative research between two countries. She helped me really narrow that focus,” Heffernan said of her professor. “I was able to converse with her about the concept of literacy, 这到底意味着什么?, and how it is actually used as a tool of oppression by colonists.”
Both Brazilian and Mozambique cultures have developed around oral traditions which stand as alternative methods of telling stories, communicating intelligence and working through discourse within a society. Through colonization and the introduction of conflicting definitions of civilization, there was an urgency placed on the skills of reading and writing to function in society. 然而, the colonies of Brazil and Mozambique have been challenged in denying women access to these skills. 由于读写能力的不平衡, mobilization surrounding this issue has caused many nonprofits to attempt to close the literacy gaps within rural and urban female populations of both nations.
Heffernan’s findings provided her the opportunity to submit a proposal to present at the Future of Women Conference held in February 2020. The opportunity to present at the conference — especially as a college sophomore — was a rarity.
“我没想到她会提交提案,赫恩登说, 而是她自己主动提出的, Syble conducted independent research — without my assistance and outside the context of any classes she was taking — and her proposal was accepted. She gave an excellent presentation alongside faculty from southern Africa.”
The conference featured other academics and activists from countries in Asia, 中东, 和欧洲, gathering to share knowledge and advocate for the rights of women and girls.
“Navigating these professional waters as a sophomore was just one of the ways she has demonstrated creativity and maturity beyond her years, ”荷顿补充说. “Her research skills, confidence and the quality of her writing grew remarkably.”
赫弗南对这个项目的热情可能会继续下去. 把这项研究作为更伟大事业的开端, the junior plans to attend 研究生院 to become a mental health practitioner to better address the traumas of those impacted by international, socioeconomic disparities like those she found in her own research. Her future plans also include extended travel to Brazil and Mozambique where she hopes to work with nonprofit organizations in their efforts to close the national literacy gaps.
“I don't think I'll have a specific (job) title which I've come to realize throughout college,赫弗南说. “My vision is a lot of writing, a lot of focus on healing in various contexts. 然后集中精力在关键问题上走到一起, specifically facing women on a global scale and figuring out how I can amplify their voices and work with them.”
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——公关作家丹妮尔·安德森的故事