WISE Learners: HELP Students in Qatar

HELP students Ronel Lefranc, Daphnee Charles, and Anne-Martine Augustin were among only 30 students from around the world invited to participate in the Learners’ Voice program at the WISE Conference on international education in Doha, Qatar in November. Daphnee, Ronel, and Anne-Martine had the chance to interview Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, the founder of BRAC and winner of the inaugural WISE Prize recognizing lifetime achievement in education.

They also interviewed Michele Pierre-Louis, former Prime Minister of Haiti and current Executive Director of FOKAL foundation, a long-time supporter of HELP.

Ronel and Daphnee had spent time abroad before, studying at Dartmouth College in 2010 and participating in international internships this past summer. But for Anne-Martine, at the top of her class in electrical engineering at the State University, it was the first time she had ever left Haiti. After returning home, she sent us her impressions of the trip:

First, I was in New York for three days. Of course, I didn’t visit the entire city but I was surrounded by the public transportation system. It’s really well organized! Each train, each bus, has its own itinerary. The highlight in New York was an event organized for HELP that I went to. The musicians were so talented and played so well! I enjoyed these days in New York so much!

I left New York on October 28 for Qatar. Twelve hours of flight! I spent most of my birthday in a Qatar Airways airplane, sleeping, eating, or watching movies. It was a crazy birthday!! In Qatar, I participated in the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE). It was a great experience. I was one of the 30 students from all over the world. I had the opportunity to share my ideas with people from different cultures, learn from them, interview some attendees, and, of course, meet a lot of people. What an instructive and inspiring summit!

For my first time out of Haiti, what a trip!