Two weeks abroad changed everything: how a little boy's story changed a college student's perspective on education

By Spencer Desmarais

December 13, 2023

In two weeks, everything can change. Perspectives, opinions,

futures, all of it. One 16-hour plane ride and it’s a brand new world.

After a week-long introduction to the beautiful landscapes

covered with mountains and grasslands in Cape Town and

Tarkastad, South Africa, on a global experience trip with the

Stout School of Education, Caitlin Kijanka and her group

were greeted by the students of Orange Grove School. The

students ran up to Caitlin and her group with hugs tighter than they’d ever felt and cheers that echoed through the air. There was so much love right away.

Caitlin is a senior at High Point University studying elementary education. Her passion began in her younger years where she experienced wonderful school systems growing up. She knew one day she wanted to make an impact on others, just like her teachers left on her. After teaching in South Africa, she had a new drive to teach those who were not as lucky as she was.

As each day went by, she learned just as much from the students she was teaching as they learned from her. From learning to braid hair, being taught their favorite traditional dances and hearing stories of their daily lives, she felt a part of the culture after just one day.

Caitlin read the students her favorite book from her childhood, Corduroy, and gave them a glimpse at elementary education in the United States.

The students taught her their favorite form of art in return. The artwork they presented to her was called “Prophetic Art.” This was representative of their favorite Bible verses, as each student at the school is in touch with his/her faith at all times. After gifting her with their work, it was Caitlin’s turn to create her own. This was art unlike anything she had tried before as she was able to demonstrate her deeper emotions through brighter pops of color and expressive paint-brush strokes across the canvas.

“I think a huge reason they lean on their faith as heavily as they do is that for the majority of their life, that was the only constant they had in their lives,” Caitlin said. “It made seeing the verse they chose that much more special.”

This connected very deeply with one little boy, Luvaelo. The boy that changed her perspective on why she wants to become a teacher.

She learned his story from the principal, whom she lived with for two weeks. Caitlin got emotional hearing the details of everything he had been through after the two of them created a bond right away.

Luvaelo grew up homeless, but he and his father attended the same church as all of the students and families of the private school. Religion was a huge part of his life, as he was unable to read and write after the trauma that was brought upon him growing up. Falling back on his faith was all he had.

His father passed away a year ago, but the abandonment he put his son through before his passing left a permanent impact on him. While his father was the only parental figure in his life, Luvaelo was forced to beg for any and everything on the streets to survive, while his father only provided for himself.

Before his father passed, his one wish was for one of the teachers to take his son in when he died. That was exactly what they did.

It was hard for the family to see what this boy had gone through when he first moved in, especially because his communication was limited. He was a 14-year-old who looked 8-years-old. The scene was devastating, but moving in with the teacher was the best thing that could have happened for the boy.

Now, he wakes up with a roof over his head, a family who loves him and goes to school in a place that takes the time to work with him at a pace that he can keep up with.

Luvaelo was just one example of a family lifestyle like this one, and the school has a part of the curriculum to accommodate for this.

One of the unique activities the students at Orange Grove School get to take part in is a sunset hike to allow them to reflect on their lives while they are up there. The hike represents the battle they fight each day, but when they finally reach the top, they realize the reward of continuing to fight because there is good at the end.

“We don’t have a worry in the world right now,” was Caitlin's first reaction when she began her reflection at the top of the mountain. Though there are mountains where she lives in Connecticut, these were more remarkable views than she had ever seen, and the exercises they did for reflection were something she had never thought to do before. This was the first moment outside of the classroom that made her consider coming back to South Africa in her future.

“If I wasn’t such a homebody, I would spend a year after graduating teaching and exploring South Africa,” she said. “Even being a homebody, I consider it daily.”

With this in mind, her teacher, Dr. Hilary Tanck, a professor in the education department at HPU who chaperoned the trip, said she saw immense growth in Caitlin through this trip.

“Caitlin really came out of her comfort zone as the trip went on, whether it was trying new foods or new experiences; she grew a lot in those two weeks,” Tanck said.

Tanck elaborated about how the most rewarding part of being on this trip was seeing how these first graders changed the lives of her college students and vice versa. She said there was something so special about watching them all grow from each other, and after all the traveling she has done in the past, this was an experience unique to any other.

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As Caitlin made her way back home, she had withdrawals of the time she spent with those students and brought back more than just memories. She brought back souvenirs for each of the kids she teaches in North Carolina and made lesson plans that were inspired by her trip.

Each student in her North Carolina classroom was gifted with a bookmark that represented her travels, and her teachers were gifted with photobooks to commemorate the trip.

After these life-changing two weeks, she hopes to recreate the love and strength of the students at Orange Grove School in her own personal classroom one day, wherever that classroom ends up being.

Her perspective on the world of education has been brightened, her opinions have been reimagined and her future could take her anywhere.

“As sad as it was to leave, I feel so thankful I experienced something that made leaving so hard, but I know the impact this trip had on me will stay with me for the rest of my life,” Caitlin said.