Melanie Ulizio, Class of 2014, is a graduate of the Accelerated Degree Program, who turned her psychology internship into an experience of a lifetime. Presenting in front of an audience of 40+ people at Albertus Magnus College’s Experiential Learning Day, held in March, she told the group why it had been a dream come true to go to Africa to be part of a non-profit that was truly making a difference in people’s lives.
A year ago last spring, Melanie Ulizio served as an intern for Right2Thrive, Inc., a non-profit organization (501c3) “which establishes empowerment programs and creates business and educational opportunities for people in disadvantaged areas around Nairobi, Kenya.” She had met the founder of the organization, Janet Patry, through her cousin and quickly learned that with Janet’s help, she could arrange a flight to Nairobi City and complete an actual internship with Janet as her mentor. During her internship, Melanie not only had a chance to take a three day Personal Empowerment Course with 12 to 16 Kenyan women and men, but she had a chance to facilitate Kenyan home visits to mentor aspiring entrepreneurs. Melanie would listen to their business plans, provide feedback, and then assess if they were in a good living situation to take start-up capital. She recalls one particularly eye-opening experience where she met with a mother and daughter who had been forced off their farm with no legal recourse. As she met with them in their home (a one room structure made out of metal with a tarp roof), she sat down on an overturned bucket and saw that they were living with their chickens and other animals for fear of theft. “There is not a lot of employment in Kenya and not many businesses. Many people have college degrees and are not employed. Even more, schools are everywhere, but the teachers don’t get paid,” says Melanie.
While most people would believe that Melanie would have experienced culture shock from her time in Kenya, the opposite is true: “I didn’t experience culture shock in Kenya; I experienced it when I returned home. Driving was weird again; however, going back to work was the worst. There was no fulfillment. I missed investing time in humanity, relationships and people. Instead, my time and energy was going to a faceless corporation.” At this time, Melanie reflects on all she learned: “I learned that it’s not about perfection. I made mistakes. All that is required is an honest desire to stretch oneself to do more and be more even if it takes work. The important thing is being brave enough to try…”
When asked about her experience at Albertus, Melanie says, “Albertus Magnus College was the first school that I ever attended where I felt like I was at home. It was clear that all the instructors here cared about the well-being of their students.” She is proud of her achievements at Albertus and is especially proud of her newfound growth and confidence. Going to Africa was a scary decision, but she did it, and it has opened the door for her to pursue other goals of helping people—this time in the field of spiritual counseling and healing. While transformation and self-discovery can happen to us in many ways and at different times, Melanie Ulizio is proof that all we need to do is to have a little faith and beopen to it.
Annette Bosley-Boyce
Acting Dean of the Division of Professional and Graduate Studies