MBCNews - Commencement 2009: Graduates Will Be Confident, Compassionate, Cross-Cultural Changemakers

Commencement 2009: Graduates Will Be Confident, Compassionate, Cross-Cultural Changemakers

By Dawn Medley

2009-05-06

For some MBC students, seeing the world is just the beginning — they are compelled to action, says Heather Ward, director of international programs.

One student in particular has “redrawn the profile of global citizenship” at MBC, Ward said when presenting Robyn Stegman ’09 with the college’s Global Citizenship Award for the second consecutive year. “Mary Baldwin is fertile ground for new leaders, and Robyn has emerged as a leader for global and civic engagement.”
Stegman chose Mary Baldwin College based on its strong international relations program and the incentives offered to her as a Global Honors Scholar. By the time she graduated from high school in Michigan, she had already traveled to nearly a dozen overseas locations with her father and younger sister, and she sought a college that would build on that experience.
“I had a collection of international items as a kid — a Barbie from Argentina, a mat from Mexico, things like that. My dad wanted to share the world with us, and I never stopped wanting to learn,” she said. After her freshman year at MBC, Stegman felt the itch to travel again, and she started looking for a program that would introduce her to Hindi culture, in which she had a growing interest. She was not deterred by the fact that Mary Baldwin didn’t offer such a program, and instead coordinated a plan to study abroad for a year in India through Antioch University, which has a headquarters for international study in Ohio. The journey was truly transformational, and included a stay in a monastery where Stegman took the vows — and shaved her head — to temporarily become a Buddhist nun.

“Travel alone does not make one a global citizen,” Ward said. “Robyn acts on what she sees and learns.” Stegman connected her experience in India to MBC when she and several other students created the Mary Baldwin Global Initiative to raise awareness of human trafficking and other at-risk young girls around the world. A commitment to support Dhamma Moli girls school in Nepal, founded by nuns Stegman met while in India, is the product of her attendance — along with 14 other Mary Baldwin students — at the inaugural Clinton Global Initiative University. She also volunteered to mentor a student from Japan when she returned, becoming the college’s first MBC Ambassador, which is now a growing program.

This year, she served as the resident advisor for the International Hall Living-Learning Community, and took advantage of breaks during the academic year to teach computer literacy in Uganda and learn about the peace process in El Salvador with MBC Artist-in- Residence Claudia Bernardi. She was one of the first students to enroll in the college’s Semester of Service, and through that practicum she organized a social entrepreneurism speaker series, interfaith dialogues, and MBC’s first Global Awareness Week. Not surprisingly, Stegman recently became one of the first to be inducted into the college’s Global Citizens Society.

She hopes each of these pieces contribute to her legacy at Mary Baldwin College. After a month of summer work with the Phoenix Project engaged in social entrepreneurship as a strategy to address poverty in Virginia, Stegman will start a year-long placement as an English teacher in South Korea through English Apple.

“My goal is to be a part-time worker or student and a full-time traveler,” said Stegman, who is applying for a Rotary scholarship for graduate studies in social entrepreneurism in Mumbai, India.

“Mary Baldwin has been Robyn’s laboratory for a lifetime of global citizenship. I can’t wait to find out what she will do and where she will be next,” Ward said.

Robyn Stegman is one of several MBC seniors who will continue their civic and global engagement after graduation May 24. Here’s a glimpse at a few more graduates with ambitious plans:
• During her senior year at Mary Baldwin, Monica Roberts created an informational video about the study abroad experiences of MBC students and faculty, a piece that Director of International Programs Heather Ward hopes to use when promoting opportunities at the college. On a study abroad trip to Cyprus during her freshman year, Roberts got a glimpse of life in London, and she plans to return there for graduate studies in industrial organization. • Hawaii native Rhea Vance-Cheng co-founded the Mary Baldwin Global Initiative with Stegman and was instrumental while attending two Clinton Global Initiative University conferences. Vance-Cheng is a theatre major who, also like Stegman, completed a minor in the relatively new field of peacemaking and conflict resolution. After graduating at age 18 through the Program for the Exceptionally Gifted, she will pursue a master’s degree in peacemaking and conflict resolution at Georgetown University. • Pamela Mendoza and Devon Burke have signed on to teach abroad through the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) program. Although they do not yet know where they will be placed in schools, both are encouraged that the positions will open doors for their international career aspirations. Mendoza and Burke were also members of the first “class” of MBC Global Citizens, recognizing that they made international travel and cross-cultural events and understanding a priority while at Mary Baldwin.
Visit www.mbc.edu/commencement for more information about Commencement activities May 22–24.