As a student interested in global development
in Sub-Saharan Africa and
the AIDS pandemic, I initially questioned
how I could put my academic
experience to good use in St. Paul,
Minnesota—until I won the Phillips
Scholarship.
The Phillips Scholarship is annually
awarded to six Minnesota private college
students who have proposed an
original service project to address an
unmet need in their communities.
The foundation financially supports
the students as they implement their
projects the summer after their junior
year.
As a Phillips Scholar, I
was able to address the
global issue of HIV/AIDS
on a local level, and I am
confident this experience
will have a lasting impact
on my academic and
professional life.
—Emily Hedin
I worked with Open Arms of Minnesota,
a nonprofit organization in
Minneapolis that prepares and delivers
meals for people living with HIV/
AIDS. My project was to expand these
services to the African-born community
of the Twin Cities. While only
1 percent of the state’s population,
African-born people represent close to
20 percent of the cases in Minnesota.
They are also among the least likely
to seek help. I spent summer 2006
networking with leaders in the African-
born community, partnering with
hospital case managers who worked
with African-born cases, and working
with African-born people affected by
this disease. I also collaborated with the
local African media to publish articles
in various languages about Open Arms
and the services available to those with
HIV/AIDS.
I worked with organizations such as
the Confederation of Somali Community
in Minnesota, the Zyombi
Project, the Ja’afari Islamic Center and
the Minnesota African Women’s Association
to establish hot-lunch and meal
delivery programs for African-born
people with HIV/AIDS. I also worked
within Open Arms of Minnesota to
adjust their delivery schedules and to
expand their menus to be more culturally
appropriate.
As a Phillips Scholar, I was able to
address the global issue of this disease
on a local level, and I am confident this
experience will have a lasting impact
on my academic and professional life.
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