ALUMNI
Shifting Perspective by Kate Bagshaw ’99
While at LA, I was a big French nerd. I’d be lying if I said my initial interest in French occurred while attending LA—that happened the first time I read Madeline—but the French department at LA certainly encouraged me to continue my studies through my senior year when, at that point, I could have easily opted out in favor of other electives. It was at Lawrence that I began to see that language was more than a subject I was required to take; it was a way for me to gain access to a different world and to experience life from a more nuanced point of view. I continued my French studies in college, where I majored in the subject, and it’s been incredibly useful in my career, leading me to spend a year in France after graduating and then to positions within the UN and at the French Red Cross in the Lao PDR. It’s difficult to pinpoint one defining moment from my time spent at LA that led me down the path of working in international development and global health, but if I had to pick one, it would be the Winterim I spent learning how to scuba dive in Honduras my senior year. How does scuba diving in a tropical paradise lead one into the non-profit world of international development? Sure, it marked the first time I traveled internationally. But what sticks out most is that the trip was almost cancelled due to the devastation caused earlier in the school year by Hurricane Mitch. I remember Tony Hawgood, our trip
40 I FALL 2013
leader, talking about the ways in which the hurricane swept away decades of progress by destroying infrastructure throughout the country, leaving millions homeless and nearly 15,000 people dead in Honduras alone. We went into town one day, and he pointed out things that had changed since his last visit, prior to the hurricane. Suddenly, Honduras wasn’t just a travel destination for me, but a place people lived, worked, and spent time with loved ones. That sounds so ridiculous and obvious, but for a 17-year-old who had previously left the Northeast only a handful of times, it was hard to picture a world outside my family and the community in which I lived.
“This experience, combined with exposure to the international student body at Lawrence, caused a shift in perspective where I was suddenly able to view the world through a different lens.”
This experience, combined with exposure to the international student body at Lawrence, caused a shift in perspective where I was suddenly able to view the world through a different lens, one where, in addition to being a part of our families, schools, communities, and country, we are also global citizens with the power to impact the world around us in positive ways.
