Illustrating Global Citizenship

This year, Upper School Social Studies teacher and Global Scholars Coordinator Heather Panahi P15, 19 launched the Global Scholars Dinner Symposium. A new component to the Global Scholars Certificate Program, the symposium invites guests from within and around the Dana Hall community to come and share their personal stories with students in an effort to illustrate how they live their lives as global citizens.

This year’s symposium speakers have included:

• Ceylan Rowe, founder and CEO of the Fihri Foundation, who shared her story of advocacy, from high school student activist to the head of a nonprofit
• Mickey Spaulding, Upper School Assistant Dean of Students, who discussed the joys and challenges she’s experienced as a woman of Indigenous and Caucasian ancestry
• Kenneth Oye, MIT professor of Political Science and human rights advocate, who shared the story of his family’s internment following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941
• Lewis Randa, founder of the Peace Abbey, who talked about his 1999 Stonewalk March in which a group of 150 people pushed a 1,500 lbs. stone from Sherborn, Mass., to Arlington, Va., to raise national awareness about the civilian casualties of war

“Here at Dana, where we are committed to preparing our students for the ‘challenges and choices they will face as citizens of the world,’ it is imperative that we model for them what upstanders and changemakers look like,” Panahi said. “Happily, we don’t have to look far; there are people throughout our communities who are out there doing these good works and are willing to share their wisdom with others.”

Through the Global Scholars Certificate Program, Upper School students have the opportunity to broaden their understanding about the people and cultures of the world through varied coursework, international experiences and language study. There are four components to this optional certification, including activities, Dana Hall courses that incorporate global perspectives, travel, and global education curriculum. The program culminates in a senior year capstone project; recent projects have focused on a variety of global issues, from clean water shortages to ISIS radicalization in the United States, with each student recommending an action plan for their identified problem.