“It is a luxury, to work with a group of people who are deeply committed and have a great eagerness to learn.”
Born in the southernmost country in the Americas, Celina was raised with an understanding of the world beyond the borders of her country. The stories her immigrant grandparents told her about their lives and their struggles before arriving in Argentina, aroused her curiosity to learn about other cultures from an early age.
Later on, while attending a catholic school founded by Sister Frances Cabrini, an Italian nun, Patron Saint of Immigrants, she was able to interact with nuns from Central American countries, which allowed her to learn about the reality of the region by listening to their stories about the civil wars ravaging the region at the time.
These stories captivated Celina and strengthened her craving for experiences that would allow her to learn other languages, ways of living and traditions. Travelling was not common among her family and her father wasn’t very supportive of her dreams to go abroad, but Celina was not deterred, and at age sixteen, she left Argentina for Canada to study at Pearson College, the United World College of the Pacific.
She chose to focus her studies on political science because she believes it can serve as a tool to create common spaces for decision-making and facilitating dialogue. She believes UPEACE is such a space, one where all those working in the field of Education for Peace can and should come together to debate, learn and create knowledge about a topic that requires much more attention and committed actors on the global stage.
“For me, the University’s greatest resources are its students” – says Celina, who refers to them as her colleagues and road companions, special and unique individuals with singular life experiences who are working towards a common goal from different perspectives and contexts. “It is a luxury,” she says, “to work with a group of people who are deeply committed and have a great eagerness to learn.”
A Visiting Professor at UPEACE since 2017 on the topic of Intercultural Education, Professor Del Felice strives to ensure students gain the analytical skills necessary to navigate today’s polarized world, and empowers them to apply and implement Peace Education where needed.
Celina considers Peace Education is fundamental in all countries as all countries are affected by different forms of conflicts and violence in one way or another and as the world is more and more interconnected.
Although measuring the impact of educating for peace may be hard, she is heartened by the creation of a common language around Peace Education and the existence of an increasingly-stronger network of change-makers coming out of UPEACE.
She is aware of the many unresolved challenges of this niche, but it’s the endless possibility of designing new solutions alongside her students that keeps her motivated and coming back to UPEACE year after year.