Editor's Note: Guest Blogger this week Borna Kassiri is one of JBFC's summer interns. This is his second visit to our campus in Tanzania.Mambo!? My name is Borna Kassiri and I am one of JBFC’s interns for the summer of 2014, a resident for a total of eight weeks. I am a rising junior at Duke University studying to receive a Bachelor of Science in Evolutionary Anthropology, hoping to become a medical doctor.
I come to JBFC through a program called DukeEngage where Duke completely funds student projects that are in conjunction with NGOs all over the world.
In order for DukeEngage to accept my proposal, I had to prove that my project was beneficial and legitimate. I submitted a proposal that described JBFC and how my plans fit into JBFC’s mission. Luckily, I had come to JBFC last year as a general volunteer.
On my trip last year, I noticed that, when asking the girls and students what they wanted to be when they grew up, not very many of them were interested in pursuing the sciences.
Soon, I came to understand why the sciences were not so attractive to the students I spoke with. The reason I became so intrigued with science and medicine is because I have always had the opportunity to interact with the sciences throughout my education through labs and demonstration. It is hard to fully understand and appreciate sciences, like chemistry, biology, and physics, without incorporating visual and interactive components.
So, I contacted Chris, Seth, and Ashli asking if they would be interested in the creation of a science laboratory curriculum, so the students of Joseph and Mary could also interact and, hopefully, come to appreciate the sciences, as much as possible.
