ABOUT THE PROJECT

As we open a new chapter here on Humans of UPEACE, we wanted to tell you a little bit about who we are and what this project is about. We, Lillie and Patric, are students in the 2021- 2022 cohort at UPEACE who have been interviewing our community of students and staff in order to share their stories with you. 

In our first week here at UPEACE, Professor Amr Abdalla described us as the ‘Comeback Class.’ After travel had ground to a halt in the isolating times of the Covid-19 pandemic, it felt like an extremely special privilege to be sitting in a room filled with so many different nationalities and passionate minds from all around the globe. The faces of those who were not able to make it on campus shone out of a large screen at the front of the classroom, a reminder that we have not departed from the virtual world of Zoom quite yet, but instead have entered into a new hybrid one. And so, with bright minds full of inspirational ideas of peace, justice and sustainability, complemented by appetites hungry to learn, UPEACE had truly come back to life…

Interacting with so many diverse and interesting characters felt like too much of a privilege to keep to ourselves. As such, we dove a little deeper behind the CVs and careers of professors, ambassadors, diplomats, social workers, lawyers and activists to share with you the humans behind these impressive job titles. Not only did we want to get to know our classmates, but also the professors and staff that make up the UPEACE campus and our local area of Ciudad Colon. Without them, there would be nowhere so green and toucan-filled for ideas of peace to come to fruition. 

We asked our interviewees to tell us about journeys that they’ve been on that have shaped them, the reasons that brought them to UPEACE and what hopes and fears they have for the future. We hope you enjoy opening the doors of the brilliant minds and compassionate hearts of the individuals of UPEACE 2021-2022…

-Lillie Toon & Patric Hansen