SUNY Geneseo Professor Adds New Perspective to Enlace Project's Work

Glen, far left with SUNY Geneseo's Winter Service Learning 2014 students.

The Western Humanities program at the State University of New York at Geneseo is a central part of the curriculum, and all students are required to take the two four-credit classes. Recently, these classes have been broadened to include opportunities to take the classes in study abroad settings—including Rome, Athens, Paris, Vienna, and El Sauce, Nicaragua. While El Sauce might not seem like the most fitting place for a Humanities class upon first glance, Geneseo professor and faculty fellow for international programs Wes Kennison recognized the potential, and the class was opened to students.

Glen, left, enjoying a swim at La Pita.

The growing interest for the El Sauce classes through Geneseo has led to the increased involvement of students and staff from the college. Among those to become involved is Glenn McClure, an Adjunct lecturer and alumnus (both undergraduate and master’s degrees) of Geneseo. Set to lead the Humanities trip for summer 2014, Glenn is working with Enlace Project to learn about the history, culture, and people of Nicaragua.

Over the college’s winter intercession, Glenn traveled with fifteen service learning students from Geneseo to review the program and begin preparing for his summer course. Among the major benefits of the El Sauce program, Glenn notes, is the valuable cultural exchange that occurs through the host family stays and interaction with community members. He writes:

“Even though this was my first visit, everyone from key community leaders (the major, the priests, institutional leaders, etc.) to kids on the street immediately treated me as a partner and friend, not a stranger.  Since I came with Enlace [Project], there was an assumption of trust and common purpose. This made for effective and enjoyable exchanges on current and potential projects.”

Glen plays some music during a bonfire in Ocotal.

Glenn expresses his hope to work to build a strong relationship with El Sauce, both through teaching Humanities and other possible projects. His resume boasts academic, international and community service experiences in countries such as Italy, Ghana, Haiti, and Greece. Additionally, Glenn is a musical composer who has worked both in the United States and other countries to demonstrate how the arts themselves can be service. “Collaborative artistic work offers an additional vehicle for intercultural dialogue and partnership development,” he explains.

As Glenn prepares for the Humanities class this summer, he will be sharing the unique opportunities offered by this program with potential student participants and community partners back home. Enlace Project is thrilled to welcome him to the ever-growing connection between communities in the United States and El Sauce!

--Written by Sean Conner

Student Testimonials: Adlin Noël

Adlin Noël, a respiratory therapy student at SUNY Upstate Medical University, traveled to El Sauce, Nicaragua in July 2013 to learn about the health care system of the country. Originally from Haiti, Adlin has an interesting perspective in coming to Nicaragua. Based on his experience, he has also written for an AARC (American Association for Respiratory Care) publication. He writes:

Adlin on horseback in Ocotal.

Together with 5 other SUNY Upstate Medical students, I spent two weeks in El Sauce, Nicaragua, helping to medically assist those in need in several rural areas. Reaching out to these less fortunate people through Enlace Project was a satisfying accomplishment. I always had the drive to help those who are constantly struggling around the world either financially or medically. However, having a trustworthy and organized team to effectively facilitate the opportunity is always a challenge. Enlace Project truly met these standards and gave me a better understanding on how to reach out—not only people in Nicaragua but other places in the world as well.

My purpose of going to Nicaragua was to help out while enhancing my skills as a clinician. Hence, these goals have been met. I was lucky to be trained by the Enlace staff. When we arrived in El Sauce, two Nicaraguan doctors affiliated with Enlace Project gave us an intense lecture on their medical system, epidemiology and some of the procedures, such us has pap smears that are frequently done in the areas we were going to work for the two weeks. We had the chance to work with hundreds of people. Health access is a hardship. Every single day we were in a different area where people walked for hours to get our help. We broke up into teams and, lead by Nicaraguan doctors, helped to diagnose, test, and treat patients. 

The complete team at a rural health post in El Sauce.

We were fortunate enough to constantly have a translator side by side with us to break the language barrier so that we could communicate effectively. Through the training and the supervision of the Enlace Project staff, I had the chance to observe a significant amount of pap smears and I performed about seven on my own. While working with the nurses in the community, I was able to assist and give vaccinations. I had the chance to observe several pregnancy examinations. The great thing about this experience was that we were able to reach out to those people in a great variety of ways. We did home visits, worked in the only hospital in El Sauce, and other small clinics in rural areas.

Beside medical related work in these two weeks in Nicaragua, we had the chance to explore many wonderful things around the country, including their history. We visited amazing places including volcanoes, museums, and cathedrals that have a lot of value to the country. In addition, we also had some fun actives including hoarse back riding, zip lining, and volcano boarding which are unforgettable.

This experience in Nicaragua was a blast, and if I had the chance to do it again I would do it in an instant.