COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

Dr. Uki Maroshek-Klarman is the executive director and one of the founders of the Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace—an educational nonprofit based in Jerusalem that promotes mutual respect, tolerance, and coexistence across religions, ethnicities, and nationalities. A leading democracy educator and innovator for more than 40 years, Maroshek-Klarman has pioneered and developed unique educational programming, methods, and modules on teaching democracy, civics (“active citizenship”), and peace in Israel, the region, and globally. She has a doctorate in political philosophy from Tel Aviv University.

Maroshek-Klarman translated abstract philosophical concepts into experiential games and civic education that teach “democracy on the ground.” She created the Adam Institute’s unique prizewinning facilitation method, Betzavta. (Betzavta means “together” in Hebrew.) The experiential method, based on philosophy, sociology, social psychology, and fun, is suited to every educational background. More than 350,000 people ages five to ninety have studied using the Betzavta method. In addition, Maroshek-Klarman has participated in the Israeli Ministry of Education’s committees on democracy education and coexistence and initiated several international academic conferences.

Maroshek-Klarman has authored 30-plus books and curricula on democracy, civics, and peace education that have been translated into Arabic, English, German, and Polish. Through hands-on activities, games, and small-group discussions, the Betzavta method encourages participants to reframe external conflicts as internal dilemmas, incentivizing them to look beyond all-ornothing situations to generate solutions that benefit everyone. Betzavta has taken root in Europe and the U.S. and other countries.

Maroshek-Klarman’s work at the Adam Institute has garnered several prestigious awards. Under her stewardship, the Adam Institute has spearheaded educational pathways for all ages, communities, and sectors, taking examples from the Israeli political scene that address universal problems shared by educators across the world.

Oussama Bel Aiba graduates today with a Master of Arts in Translation and Localization Management. A Tunisian citizen, Oussama became passionate about learning languages and discovering other cultures at a very early age. He holds a BA in Spanish studies from the University of Carthage in Tunisia and studied abroad in Spain, during which time he also worked for cinema festivals and nonprofits. After returning to Tunisia, he became a translator and interpreter at the Spanish embassy, fulfilling his interest in international relations, multicultural environments, and administration.

He also developed a strong commitment to social justice as a volunteer translator and Spanish teacher at the Tunisian NGO Mawjoudin, which advocates for LGBTQ rights in the Middle East and North Africa.

As a gaming enthusiast and student of languages, Oussama found the Middlebury Institute’s Translation and Localization Management program a perfect fit. Throughout his two years at MIIS, he not only developed critical management and technical skills in his chosen field but made the most of interacting with students across all programs. He worked as a graduate assistant on campus at the academic departments’ front desk and interned at gaming company Light & Wonder, where he translated in-game content and managed complex projects.

Now, as he graduates today with his Translation and Localization Management master’s degree in hand, he plans to put his MIIS education to good use working in the gaming industry, with the goals of inclusivity and diversity in mind.

PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE 2022–2023

Pre Sident

Laurie L. Patton

C Harter Trustees

Kirtley H. Cameron ’95

Allan R. Dragone Jr. ’78

Catherine G. Lee ’92

George C. Lee II ’88

Caroline Sneath McBride ’75

Dennis D. Parker ’77

Helen Riess

Richard T. Scanlon ’93

Karen A. Stolley ’77

William F. Truscott ’83

Term Trustees

Belinda L. Badcock

Joseph W. Brown ’90

Leilani M. Brown ’93

Barbara G. Cole

Janine Feng ’92

Graham Goldsmith ’89

G. Parker Harris III ’89

Lucienne M. Ide ’97

Carol L. Jones

Koby Altman ’04

Zachary Bourque ’01

Denver G. Edwards ’88

Alice Jane Murphy ’98

Suzanne Reider ’87

Henry J. Simonds ’97

Elizabeth Cromwell Speers ’86

Mark D. Spence ’98

John S. Weinberg

O. Larry Yarbrough

Kashif Zafar ’92

Alumni Trustees

Anne D. Peterson ’85

Shawn P. Ryan ’88

Danielle S. Virtue ’82