Wrapping Up Down Under

This past and final semester at the University of Queensland has been incredibly busy and rewarding. In April, our class of Peace Fellows visited Canberra, Australia’s capital. The trip was arranged through Rotarians in Canberra, and we got a first-hand perspective on just how the Australian government, political system, and civil society agencies operate.

In May, our class hosted the annual Rotary Peace Fellows’ Seminar, titled “PeaceTalks: Peace in Practice” as a culmination of our year and a half at UQ. I talked about my journey as a Peace Fellow, my applied field experience with Roots of Peace Vietnam, and my desire to promote peace through sustainable food systems, equitable trade, and small-scale farmer development. A video of my presentation can be found HERE!

Finally--drum roll please--I graduated with my Master’s of International Studies, Peace and Conflict Resolution in mid-July! Thank you to everyone for your support over the past year and a half—I couldn’t have done it without you! 

Oh happy day!

I didn't want to pay $30 for the print...so this screen shot will have to do. 

Yes--it's real! A real degree!

You are probably asking what I am doing next with my life. After graduating, I realized there are so many people, organizations, and projects here in Southeast Asia that I want to explore--especially those related to small-scale farmers, trade, and development, as well as international higher education. So I will be “travelearning” for the next 3 months.

I am currently in Bangkok, Thailand with my sister, Katrina Lewis, Assistant Professor of Interior Architecture & Product Design at KSU. She is completing a Professional Certificate in Peace and Conflict Resolution as a Rotary Peace Fellow at Chulalongkorn University. We like to joke that peace must run in the Lewis family…many thanks to District 5710 and the Manhattan Rotary Club for helping us to make peace a family affair.

I will be in Bangkok until the end of August, and I then plan to travel to Burma, Lao, and northern Thailand through September and early October. I will then head to East Timor to learn more about the work going on there with small-scale coffee farmer cooperatives and organic coffee production. I am planning a blog to document the adventure and will share the address as soon as it’s live!