Students participating in the School’s Global Studies Certificate Program are accustomed to welcoming various guest speakers with diverse perspectives to campus each year. The most recent speaker to share a global experience with program participants was a familiar face for many: Pennington’s Teacher of English Rachel Burke. 

Burke, who received her bachelor of arts from Colby College and her masters from Middlebury College, spoke to students about her experience completing an honors thesis research project during her final year as an undergraduate. As an international studies major, Burke spent a portion of her senior year in Bologna, Italy, focusing her research on immigration and citizenship in modern Italy. In her paper, she explored concepts such as racism, xenophobia, inequality, rights, and resistance.  

These topics paired perfectly with the mission of Pennington’s Global Studies Program, which seeks to “support and enhance informed, active, and ethical participation in global ideas, issues, and communities, both at home and abroad.”