Volunteers

Caption:  From left to right, our 2011-2012 Volunteers Rebecca Finney, Emily Marquet, Amanda Gaal, Rachel Carter, Abigayle Roznowski

Volunteer View

by Rachel Carter

While awaiting the arrival of new and returning Louverturians fresh from summer break, this year’s Volunteers have been working to prepare campus for the start of the semester.  Sorting and burning trash, painting, and gardening are LCS’ chosen methods of helping people get to know one another; after all, there is no better conversation than one conducted over a compost pile.  We are excited to learn more about each other—and more Kreyol—as the year progresses, and we hope you enjoy learning a little bit about us as well. 

Abigayle Roznowski is our resident cheesehead, hailing from Green Bay, WI.  She studied clinical laboratory science and is now a certified Medical Laboratory Scientist.  While participating in a month-long global health field experience in Uganda, Abi saw firsthand the relationship between poverty and disease.  She strongly believes that eradication begins in the classroom and was drawn to LCS’ mission to advance other health determinates such as gender equality and community sanitation. She is looking forward to volunteering at LCS to help others empower themselves.  Abi ran her first marathon this summer, plays basketball and soccer, and will no doubt have boundless energy for school athletics this year.

Andrew Roznowski hails from Green Bay, Wisconsin (Abi and Andrew mark the first sibling pair of Volunteers in THP history).  Prior to arriving at LCS, Andrew served with Americorps in a Milwaukee public school and completed training  as an emergency medical technician.  Andrew has stepped in to sustain the mission's vigorous physical education program. He is also teaching sizyem English, leading neighborhood sanitation projects, and co-coaching the men's basketball team.  Welcome Andrew and thank you for coming!   

Amanda Gaal graduated from Loyola University in Baltimore, MD, with a degree in Biology.  She traveled extensively in Thailand while studying abroad for a semester in Bangkok, which sparked her interest in learning about different cultures.  She was encouraged to pursue volunteering at LCS after organizing a women’s retreat for the campus ministry office at Loyola, where she developed a sense of purpose from being a part of a faith-based community.  Amanda’s community service experience and belief in our mission of giving back through education will be a strong force on the squad this year. “I am so ready to get my hands dirty!” she says. 

Emily Marquet studied drama at NYU with an emphasis on postcolonial studies.  A lifelong traveler, her journeys landed her for a semester at The University of the Witwatersrand School of the Arts in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she learned about creating works from scratch and using theatre as a mechanism for social change in a community.  Emily attended LCS’ sister school, Bishop Ireton High School, in Reston Virginia, and, on two separate trips to LCS, directed students in two plays—one she wrote, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Emily is looking forward to providing a constant vehicle for the arts here by directing plays and teaching students to write their own works.

Rebecca Finney returns for her second year as a Volunteer.  A native of New Orleans, LA, she attended the University of New Orleans. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, she took advantage of a scholarship to study in Orleans, France. After graduating in 2008 with a degree in international studies with a concentration in peace and justice, Rebecca remained rooted in her hometown by working with the Americorps and then in 2009 as a Residential Coordinator for teenage girls with Boys Hope Girls Hope. Rebecca will oversee the Timoun program, our early education provision for  children fromthe Santo area. She will also oversee the Ti Ekol Program, an opportunity for LCS students to tutor local children.  Rebecca’s experience and passion for this work will be an asset to these growing branches of the LCS community.

My name is Rachel Carter, and my husband Nick Carter and I are excited to be living and working at LCS.  Nick finished his third year of medical school at Brown University in Providence, RI, and is taking a year off to work at St. Damien  Hospital  while teaching a  class at our school.  Before coming to LCS, I taught writing at a community college in Providence and wrote and edited for a regional magazine.  I will be serving as the Lead Volunteer and look forward to seeing how God will enrich the lives of Louverturians and propel them to become future leaders for Haiti.