From Malaysia to Michigan
Don protégé
Who Am I?
My name is Sophie Boudreau and I grew up in Holland, Michigan. I graduated from Holland High School in 2010 and went on to receive my bachelor’s degree in film and television from the University of Michigan in 2014. In January 2015, I left to spend 10 months teaching at SMK Chalok in rural Malaysia by way of a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) grant. I will return to the United States in early November.
The Basics:
After a year in Malaysia teaching English as a Fulbright grantee, I want to give two of my students and one of my co-teachers the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit me in Michigan. During their time in America, they will help me carry out a series of cultural workshops within Holland Public Schools, with a primary emphasis on battling negative stereotypes about Muslims and unteaching Islamophobia.
While I have not yet officially selected the two students who will travel to Michigan, I do know that they will be 16 year-old girls from one of my top Form 4 classes. I'll be sure to share when the specifics are confirmed. My students are incredibly kind, intelligent, and curious. They have deeply enriched my life over the course of my time in Malaysia. I would be forever grateful for the opportunity to fulfill their dreams of traveling abroad while also doing important cultural work with high school students from my own hometown.
How Will Your Donation Help?
The average cost of a round-trip plane trip between Malaysia and Michigan is approximately $1500 per person during our projected dates, which totals $4500 for three people. My students and co-teachers live modestly in a rural area of Terengganu and simply cannot afford the cost of airfare. While they are in Michigan, I would like to put them up in a local hotel for two weeks. The remainder of the money will be used to purchase supplies for our workshops and to take my Malaysian friends on a few cultural day trips.
Why Is This Project Important?
My time in Terengganu, Malaysia has been nothing short of life-changing. I was rapidly immersed in a community whose culture differed from mine entirely. It has been incredibly challenging at times, but I’ve clumsily adapted to Malaysian food, modest standards of dress, unwaveringly hot weather, and a devoted religious society. Malaysia is a multicultural country, but the state I live in is almost entirely Muslim, which has given me the opportunity to experience Islam firsthand. I was raised in the Catholic church but consider myself non-religious now— regardless, I was warmly embraced by my community during Muslim holidays and celebrations. What has struck me most about my time in Malaysia is the kindness, generosity, and sentiment of peace that pervades the lives of people I’ve grown close to here.
When I first told people back in West Michigan that I was living in a Muslim community, however, I was saddened by some of their reactions. People were concerned about my safety and seemed shocked when I told them about my experiences with Malaysian culture and Islam. Unfortunately, I didn’t find these reactions wildly surprising. I thought back to my years growing up in Holland and realized that most of my own ideas about Islam came from what I saw on television or in movies— images of extremists and radical, violent sects who most certainly do not represent the true heart of the religion. These false ideas shifted as soon as I got a bit older and sought to religiously educate myself, but it’s easy to see how many Americans might hold false ideas of what it means to be a modern, everyday Muslim.
Reflecting on my experiences has inspired me to design a program that will allow for real-time interaction between young Americans and Malaysians. Cultural exchange has massively impacted my life for the better and I would be honored to bring this experience to Holland students right in their schools. The icing on the cake is that my Malaysian students have imagined visiting America for years. Many of them have never left Malaysia, and bringing them to Michigan would be a dream come true. The heart of the Fulbright organization is an emphasis on cultural exchange, and I can’t think of a more wonderful way to complete the “exchange” element of my grant than by bringing some of my cherished Malaysian friends to my own lakeside hometown.
What's The Goal?
My primary objective in organizing this project is to open Holland-area students’ (and adults’) eyes to the harsh realities of cultural and religious stereotyping. Islamophobia, or a powerful prejudice against Islam and Muslims, is a pervasive problem in American society. My year in Malaysia has inspired me to battle it within my own community. I genuinely believe that West Michigan is home to many intelligent, diverse, and culturally competent people, but I have certainly observed ignorance and discrimination in my own backyard. I believe that the best way to fight back against harmful stereotyping is through education, and this begins with young people. I would like to replace media-promoted ideas of Islam as a religion of violence with the peaceful reality of everyday Muslim culture. Additionally, my Malaysian students rarely interact with people of different religious backgrounds— from Christianity to Judaism to atheism. This program would be an incredible learning experience for them as well.
I want to be abundantly clear that this is in no way a program solely centered on religion and there is absolutely no intention of “preaching” or promoting from either side. Instead, I simply hope to open a dialogue between vastly different groups and bolster international equity and understanding. I believe this cultural exchange would prove invaluable for students from both countries.
What Will These Workshops Look Like?
This project will consist of a series of hour-long workshops to be carried out in individual classes at Holland High School or even throughout multiple locations within Holland Public Schools. Ideally, each workshop will start with an honest, open discussion of what Holland students perceive about the Malaysian guests before even speaking with them. How do they react to the women’s head-coverings? What do they know about Malaysia and Southeast Asia? What does the news tell them about Muslims? This introductory discussion will transition into short presentations from two Malaysian high school students and one Malaysian teacher, each of whom will discuss their unique Malaysian culture, their personal background, and their beliefs regarding the true meaning of their Muslim religion. These discussions will give way to a few collaborative identity and stereotype activities to be carried by the Malaysian and American students.
HPS students will be challenged to consider difficult personal questions: Who are you? What motivates you to make the choices you do? How are you perceived by other people, and how does this affect the way you act and react? How often do you allow surface-level assumptions to guide your thoughts about other people or cultures? Each workshop will also allow time for open dialogue and question/answer sessions between the Malaysian guests and HPS students. Students from both parties will have the unique opportunity to reshape their international outlooks and build further cultural understanding.
Logistics:
If this project is carried out, it will likely take place over the course of two weeks during February or March of 2016, which coincides with school holidays for the Malaysian students and teacher. I will speak with Holland Public Schools teachers ahead of time to devise a schedule that works best for each class— this could develop into organizing a larger gathering with combined classes.
Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to read about my little "passion project." I believe deeply in the potential benefits of this program, and any support you can offer will be appreciated beyond words by me and my amazing students alike.
My name is Sophie Boudreau and I grew up in Holland, Michigan. I graduated from Holland High School in 2010 and went on to receive my bachelor’s degree in film and television from the University of Michigan in 2014. In January 2015, I left to spend 10 months teaching at SMK Chalok in rural Malaysia by way of a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) grant. I will return to the United States in early November.
The Basics:
After a year in Malaysia teaching English as a Fulbright grantee, I want to give two of my students and one of my co-teachers the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit me in Michigan. During their time in America, they will help me carry out a series of cultural workshops within Holland Public Schools, with a primary emphasis on battling negative stereotypes about Muslims and unteaching Islamophobia.
While I have not yet officially selected the two students who will travel to Michigan, I do know that they will be 16 year-old girls from one of my top Form 4 classes. I'll be sure to share when the specifics are confirmed. My students are incredibly kind, intelligent, and curious. They have deeply enriched my life over the course of my time in Malaysia. I would be forever grateful for the opportunity to fulfill their dreams of traveling abroad while also doing important cultural work with high school students from my own hometown.
How Will Your Donation Help?
The average cost of a round-trip plane trip between Malaysia and Michigan is approximately $1500 per person during our projected dates, which totals $4500 for three people. My students and co-teachers live modestly in a rural area of Terengganu and simply cannot afford the cost of airfare. While they are in Michigan, I would like to put them up in a local hotel for two weeks. The remainder of the money will be used to purchase supplies for our workshops and to take my Malaysian friends on a few cultural day trips.
Why Is This Project Important?
My time in Terengganu, Malaysia has been nothing short of life-changing. I was rapidly immersed in a community whose culture differed from mine entirely. It has been incredibly challenging at times, but I’ve clumsily adapted to Malaysian food, modest standards of dress, unwaveringly hot weather, and a devoted religious society. Malaysia is a multicultural country, but the state I live in is almost entirely Muslim, which has given me the opportunity to experience Islam firsthand. I was raised in the Catholic church but consider myself non-religious now— regardless, I was warmly embraced by my community during Muslim holidays and celebrations. What has struck me most about my time in Malaysia is the kindness, generosity, and sentiment of peace that pervades the lives of people I’ve grown close to here.
When I first told people back in West Michigan that I was living in a Muslim community, however, I was saddened by some of their reactions. People were concerned about my safety and seemed shocked when I told them about my experiences with Malaysian culture and Islam. Unfortunately, I didn’t find these reactions wildly surprising. I thought back to my years growing up in Holland and realized that most of my own ideas about Islam came from what I saw on television or in movies— images of extremists and radical, violent sects who most certainly do not represent the true heart of the religion. These false ideas shifted as soon as I got a bit older and sought to religiously educate myself, but it’s easy to see how many Americans might hold false ideas of what it means to be a modern, everyday Muslim.
Reflecting on my experiences has inspired me to design a program that will allow for real-time interaction between young Americans and Malaysians. Cultural exchange has massively impacted my life for the better and I would be honored to bring this experience to Holland students right in their schools. The icing on the cake is that my Malaysian students have imagined visiting America for years. Many of them have never left Malaysia, and bringing them to Michigan would be a dream come true. The heart of the Fulbright organization is an emphasis on cultural exchange, and I can’t think of a more wonderful way to complete the “exchange” element of my grant than by bringing some of my cherished Malaysian friends to my own lakeside hometown.
What's The Goal?
My primary objective in organizing this project is to open Holland-area students’ (and adults’) eyes to the harsh realities of cultural and religious stereotyping. Islamophobia, or a powerful prejudice against Islam and Muslims, is a pervasive problem in American society. My year in Malaysia has inspired me to battle it within my own community. I genuinely believe that West Michigan is home to many intelligent, diverse, and culturally competent people, but I have certainly observed ignorance and discrimination in my own backyard. I believe that the best way to fight back against harmful stereotyping is through education, and this begins with young people. I would like to replace media-promoted ideas of Islam as a religion of violence with the peaceful reality of everyday Muslim culture. Additionally, my Malaysian students rarely interact with people of different religious backgrounds— from Christianity to Judaism to atheism. This program would be an incredible learning experience for them as well.
I want to be abundantly clear that this is in no way a program solely centered on religion and there is absolutely no intention of “preaching” or promoting from either side. Instead, I simply hope to open a dialogue between vastly different groups and bolster international equity and understanding. I believe this cultural exchange would prove invaluable for students from both countries.
What Will These Workshops Look Like?
This project will consist of a series of hour-long workshops to be carried out in individual classes at Holland High School or even throughout multiple locations within Holland Public Schools. Ideally, each workshop will start with an honest, open discussion of what Holland students perceive about the Malaysian guests before even speaking with them. How do they react to the women’s head-coverings? What do they know about Malaysia and Southeast Asia? What does the news tell them about Muslims? This introductory discussion will transition into short presentations from two Malaysian high school students and one Malaysian teacher, each of whom will discuss their unique Malaysian culture, their personal background, and their beliefs regarding the true meaning of their Muslim religion. These discussions will give way to a few collaborative identity and stereotype activities to be carried by the Malaysian and American students.
HPS students will be challenged to consider difficult personal questions: Who are you? What motivates you to make the choices you do? How are you perceived by other people, and how does this affect the way you act and react? How often do you allow surface-level assumptions to guide your thoughts about other people or cultures? Each workshop will also allow time for open dialogue and question/answer sessions between the Malaysian guests and HPS students. Students from both parties will have the unique opportunity to reshape their international outlooks and build further cultural understanding.
Logistics:
If this project is carried out, it will likely take place over the course of two weeks during February or March of 2016, which coincides with school holidays for the Malaysian students and teacher. I will speak with Holland Public Schools teachers ahead of time to devise a schedule that works best for each class— this could develop into organizing a larger gathering with combined classes.
Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to read about my little "passion project." I believe deeply in the potential benefits of this program, and any support you can offer will be appreciated beyond words by me and my amazing students alike.
Organisateur
Sophie Boudreau
Organisateur
Holland, MI
