Meet the Tanzania 2019 Team
Samantha Dertinger – scdertin@mtu.edu
Samantha is a third year Biomedical Engineering Student at Michigan Technological University. She is from Harrison Township Michigan, which is approximately 30 minutes north of Detroit, with her parents and 6 younger siblings. She participates in the Pavlis Honors College, Mind Trekkers, and the Michigan Tech Open Sustainability Technology Research group. In her free time, Samantha enjoys playing piano, video games, and spending time with her friends.
Emily Rutledge – ecrutled@mtu.edu
Emily is a third year Environmental Engineering major at Michigan Technological University. Emily grew up in Holland, Michigan with her mom, dad, and two dogs. At Michigan Tech Emily is involved with the Ski and Snowboard club as a member of the executive board, is in the Pavlis Honors College, is a member of the Green Campus Enterprise, and volunteers with the YWLP mentoring program. Emily enjoys volunteering and is passionate about sustainability. In her free time Emily enjoys downhill skiing, running, hiking, camping, backpacking and spending time with friends and family.
Madi Vachon – mtparis@mtu.edu
Madi is a fourth year English major at Michigan Technological University. She is from Brighton, MI and grew up with her five siblings, her dog (Wookie), and hedgehog (Humphrey). She is involved in Pavlis Honors College as a peer mentor and ambassador. In her free time, she works as a food blogger and an entrepreneur at mildlymeandering.com and snacksandsips.com, spending most weekends developing recipes. Additionally, she loves to travel around the globe and try different foods.
About the Trip
Departure Date:
Three weeks from today (6/4/2019), Team Tanzania 2019 departs for Mount Kilimanjaro.
Projects:
Each member leads their own projects including updating a handwashing station at Nkwamakuu Primary School, STEM activities at the primary school and Orkalili High School, and English education activities at the same schools. Proper sanitation is necessary in all schools in order for the schools to make long lasting impacts on the children it serves. As sanitation continues to improve in schools, it allows to children to be more present in school, missing less from preventable illnesses and other health reasons that may otherwise force them to stay home. This with sustainable growth in the STEM field of education will help the students prepare themselves for upcoming exams and higher levels of education. In turn, with high levels of education in the community, the standards of living will improve and the students will be able to give back to their own communities, using their education. English education will help the students prepare for the English-based high schools that many will attend and to help them prepare to use English in the work force through hands-on, interactive activities that will help them learn the language.
About the Global Leadership Pathway:
The Global Leadership Pathway in the Pavlis Honor College, at Michigan Tech, inspires and prepares students to become leaders who challenge themselves, work effectively on diverse teams, and achieve their goals through life-changing courses, projects, mentorships, and international experiences. The highlight of the Global Leadership Pathway is a 5-week international experience from June 25th through July 31st, and this year we will be heading to Tanzania. While there we must use the skills we have developed to successfully complete meaningful projects that will have a positive effect on the Tanzania community. For our trip, we have three projects, which are outlined below. We will be working on these at an elementary and high school in Boma N’Gombe and with Amani’s Children’s Home in Moshi.
