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Westminster Choir College junior Kate Dunn had never traveled outside of the United States until this summer, when she made up for lost time and flew more than 16,000 miles to pursue her interest in music and in education.

Her journey began in July when, as a member of the Westminster Williamson Voices, she participated in Westminster’s Choral Institute at Oxford in the U.K. The ensemble served as the resident choir for the intense 10-day program, which immerses participating conductors in a community of musicians and faculty as they study conducting and other aspects of the choral art.  

“It’s an extremely rewarding musical experience,” she said. “Especially once you’re able to open yourself to others.”

When the Oxford program finished, she joined a friend for a week in London before flying to Cape Town, South Africa, where she volunteered at a school in Heideveld, a neighborhood in Cape Town.  Managed by Cross Cultural Solutions, a program designed to immerse volunteers in a culture, her assignment was to assist one teacher working with 16 children between 1 and 5 years old at Little Bright Stars Educare.

“They definitely needed help,” she said.  The school was what is known in South Africa as a “compartment school,” four tractor-trailer compartments connected to each other with no electricity, heat, air conditioning, internet or plumbing.  Kate tried to incorporate music into their daily lessons and activities, and the students were eager to participate.

“Music is a huge part of their culture,” she said, noting that many of the students came from broken homes with limited financial means.  “The effects of apartheid are still there. They didn’t have much to give, but they sure gave me a lot of love,” she added.

The experience presented many challenges, she noted in her blog, Under African Skies. 

“Handling 16 children in a room slightly larger than a walk in closet was a huge challenge for me,” she wrote. “All of these challenges are great though — I know they are making me a better educator. I’m falling absolutely in love with my students, and I already dread leaving them in two weeks. I want all the best in the world for them. I’m truly excited to have my own classroom one day after working with these amazing kids!”

She stayed in a guest house with other volunteers, most of whom were in their 20s and from around the United States.  The program also included language lessons, a drumming lesson, trips to museums, guest speakers, and a visit to an AIDS/HIV center for women and children.  On weekends she traveled on her own, joined a safari and visited an elephant sanctuary.  She also experienced a few adventures: shark cage diving, skydiving and a leap from the world’s highest commercial bungee jump bridge.  (She told her mother about it after the fact.)

“Easily the scariest thing I've ever done,” she wrote on her Facebook page after jumping 9,000 feet out of a plane. “I'm so glad I did it though — it was absolutely exhilarating and the view was unreal!”

What did she learn after her long journey far from home?  “I learned the effect a teacher can have on her students,” she said.  “Love is the most important thing you can give to them.  I also learned that there’s a difference between a vacation and travel and that you can have a good time doing good.”