Roadrunners forge global connections at Northern Ireland peacebuilding program

AUGUST 29, 2024 — Three UTSA students recently had the opportunity to participate in the Nurturing Hope Summer Learning Journey. Undergraduates Sahana Babu and Htoo Htee Ywar and graduate student Garrett Rouse took part in a 10-day intensive workshop in Northern Ireland with students of all ages from around the world to learn about peacemaking, reconciliation, conflict resolution and community building.

Arranged by the Rotary Club of San Antonio and brought to UTSA by First Lady Peggy Eighmy, wife of UTSA President Taylor Eighmy, the opportunity was fully funded for each student with help from the UTSA President’s Office, the UTSA Honors College and the UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts.

“I got to meet people from almost every single continent, and I thought that was really cool because I've never been in such a diverse environment before,” said Babu, a sophomore neuroscience major. “I left the program knowing that I had so much in common with all the people there, even though they had gone through different things in life than I had.”

“I am thrilled that such extraordinary UTSA students were able to participate in the Nurturing Hope program. I know the experience was deeply impactful.”

Babu, Rouse and Ywar spent the first half of their trip in Northern Ireland’s Corrymeela Community. The area was founded in the 1960s to promote peace during the Troubles, a decades-long period of violent conflict in Northern Ireland and is dedicated to creating a global community built on relationships that cross geographic, cultural, religious and political boundaries.

Sahana Babu and Htoo Htee Ywar got the opportunity to tour Northern Ireland as part of the Nurturing Hope Summer Learning Journey program.

Through various group activities and by sharing personal life experiences, the students learned about reconciliation, restoring relationships, and how to cultivate hope and trust in their own lives and communities. They also explored the dynamics of places around the globe that have been affected by war and other conflicts.

Ywar, a sophomore studying psychology, was drawn to Corrymeela’s mission of promoting peace in areas of conflict due to her own family history.

“I was born in a refugee camp in Thailand for the Karen people. My parents had me and my sister at the camps, and we came to America when I was around two years old,” Ywar said. “I know what it means to come from a place of conflict, so I thought this program would be great because I could apply myself and really connect to it.”

Ywar says the experience sparked an interest in pursuing research surrounding the long-term consequences of such conflicts in the future.

“I like hearing about people's stories and knowing how conflicts have affected people,” Ywar said. “I want to do research on refugee camps and areas of conflict to see how the trauma of conflict or war trickles down, because even when conflicts end, there’s a lasting effect.”

During the latter half of their trip, the three Roadrunners and students and faculty from San Antonio’s St. Mary’s University, Northwest Vista College, Trinity University, Our Lady of the Lake University and Schreiner University traveled around Northern Ireland to learn more about the region’s history.

“I read and learned a lot about the Troubles in Northern Ireland, but it was not until I saw the 30-foot-high peace walls dividing Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods in Belfast that I truly understood the societal upheaval that happened,” said Rouse, a graduate student studying history. “All too often we force ourselves to forget about the people we talk about in our politics and history classes. They are not just words on a page, or numbers in a report. They are real people, and they matter.”

Witnessing this history firsthand was also an eye-opening experience for Babu.

“The program really humanized a lot of the conflicts and things I normally just read about,” Babu said. “Hearing about it on a personal level — the families and the friendships and everything that fell apart and suffered — was something I wasn't expecting to be so impactful on me.”

The global opportunity is exemplary of UTSA’s mission to create a campus environment where open and respectful discourse can flourish across differences.

“I am thrilled that such extraordinary UTSA students were able to participate in the Nurturing Hope program. I know the experience was deeply impactful,” she said. “Taylor and I are most grateful to the Rotary Club of San Antonio and the Corrymeela community.” 

Looking ahead, UTSA will partner with Trinity University, Alamo Colleges, the Rotary Club of San Antonio and the H.E. Butt Foundation to bring the Corrymeela curriculum back to the city. Gina Amatangelo, UTSA professor of practice in public administration and associate dean for strategic initiatives in the Honors College, will lead the new program, called Nurturing Hope San Antonio.

Nurturing Hope San Antonio will bring together students from different regions, backgrounds, political beliefs and religions from around the city. The program will include discussions on divisive issues such as income inequality and immigration and will teach students how to engage in meaningful and civil conversations despite differences. 

With the ability to respectfully navigate differing opinions, personalities and beliefs, Roadrunners are learning skills that are essential for their success in school, the workplace and their lives. By promoting civil discourse and civic engagement on campus and beyond, UTSA is working to create the next generation of leaders by focusing on their academic, personal and holistic development.

— Chloe Johnson