AVIE Scholarships fund student growth and community involvement

The 2020-2021 school year will go down in history for many reasons. But for onegroup of scholarship winners, it will be remembered for the difference theymade in their community.

Hayden DeGross ’21, Rashaud Colbert ’21, Kylee Allen ’22, Mariah Pellino ’21, Samantha Wiederholt ’21, and Desaray Bordner ’23 were the first students awarded Clarke University’s new Activism and Values Informed Education (AVIE) Clarke Compass Award. The AVIE scholarship was developed by Clarke alumna and Board of Trustees member Jenifer Westphal ’84 to support students who feel called to make a difference in equity and inclusion.

Together, the students worked with mentors to create and carry out a plan of action for change related to systemic challenges of racism and oppression in our community. As the six students worked together, they decided to focus their efforts on the Marshallese community in Dubuque, Iowa.

“Many of us were unaware of the great presence that the Marshallese have in Dubuque and decided to dedicate the project to educate both ourselves and the Clarke community about the population,” said Kylee Allen, nursing major and AVIE scholarship recipient.

Allen and her cohort presented a summary of what they’ve learned in the documentary, “The Forgotten People.” The film tells the story of how after World War II, the United States conducted nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands. Believing the islands to be sparsely populated, little was done to protect or educate the inhabitants who were now living in a fallout zone. Stan Samson, pastor of the Marshallese Paradise Church in Dubuque, is featured in the documentary and shares the devastating impacts of the bombing, including the radioactive ash that covered the islands after each test.

“My mother was one of the kids who was outside playing– and here comes snow. They thought it was snow. So she would pick up the flakes and eat the flakes. It was bad,”Samson said. “One of the islands was gone, people were sick.”

With their homes made unlivable, a third of the Marshallese population relocated to the United States, including Dubuque, Iowa. Soon, the Marshallese faced new challenges like language barriers and work documentation issues. At the end of the documentary, the AVIE students present ways viewers can support the Marshallese people, such as petitioning for the Marshallese language be added to popular translation apps like Google and Microsoft.

“This scholarship caused me to think outside of the box in a very interesting way,” Allen said. “I was able to learn stories from Marshallese individuals who reside in our community, see the adversity that they had faced, and how they were able to keep the Marshallese spirit alive through their community and culture.”

2020-2021 AVIE Compass Scholarship Recipients

Kylee Allen ’22, Major: Nursing, Hometown: Dubuque, IA

Desaray Bordner ’23, Major: Nursing, Hometown: Elizabeth, IL

Rashaud Colbert ’21 Major: BusinessAdministration and Sport Management, Hometown: Phoenix, IL

Hayden DeGross ’21, Major: Psychology, Hometown:Elko New Market, MN

Mariah Pellino ’21, Major: Art, Hometown: Streator, IL

Samantha Wiederholt ’21, Major: Nursing, Hometown: Cuba City, WI

To view the documentary and learn more about the project, visit clarke.edu/aviemarshallese.

More about the Activism and Values Informed Education (AVIE) Clarke Compass Award

Each year, five undergraduate students will be selectedfor a $3,500 scholarship to bring our Compass outcomesof Communication, Global Awareness and SocialResponsibility, Knowledge, Professional Preparedness,

Spirituality, and Thinking to life. Students will work with mentors and their community while gaining new skill sets, helping others, and being part of change on a local and global scale. You can learn about the Clarke Compass, AVIE scholarship opportunities, and more at clarke.edu.