Princeton Weekly Bulletin March 29, 1999
Senior to study in Capetown
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Calvin Christopher in Capetown
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The award will allow him to travel to Cape Town, South Africa, to pursue a project he calls "Bridging the Gap: Community Development and Education in South Africa."
Christopher's project stemmed from his study abroad experience at the University of Cape Town in 1998, when he participated in research on education in South Africa, exploring issues facing black schools such as teacher shortages, lack of resources and high crime rates. "As I got to know the nature of the issues and problems in the classroom and in community involvement in the schools, I realized I needed to do more extensive and indepth research," says Christopher.
"Bridging the Gap" will focus on three policy goals, according to Christopher: Increasing parental and community involvement in education; supporting coordination and cooperation between schools and local businesses and nongovernmental organizations; and integrating schools into broader community development initiatives. "South Africa is an exciting place to be right now," Christopher says. "They're creating their society fresh, and there's a spirit of enthusiasm for devising solutions."
In addition to the Labouisse-supported research, Christopher plans to pursue graduate-level studies at the Center for African Studies at the University of Cape Town. His interests include continued study of Xhosa, the predominant African language of the Cape, which he views as "useful in conducting interviews and surveys, as well as increasing my ability to access the Guguletu community."
A Woodrow Wilson School major, Christopher will receive a certificate in East Asian Studies. He has lived and studied in China and Japan and plans a career in international development.
The Labouisse Fellowship, established in 1987, honors the memory of Henry Richardson Labouisse '26, a State Department and UN official who headed Unicef from 1965 to 1979. He played a key role in setting up the Marshall Plan operations in postwar Europe, was appointed director of the International Cooperation Administration in 1961 under the Kennedy administration and served as ambassador to Greece from 1962 to 1965.
The award in his name is given annually to "a graduating Princeton senior who wishes to work or study abroad on matters in keeping with the spirit of Labouisse's life, broadly conceived." Past winners have traveled to Africa, Latin America and Asia, exploring a range of topics from rural development strategies in Jamaica to healthcare programs in rural areas of Zimbabwe.