Yasmeen Abdelhamid, 2012 Hand/2013 XL

This fall I will be graduating from Western Michigan University with my Bachelor's in Social Work. As a part of my degree, I have the opportunity to work with Bethany Christian Services. Within this organization, I work with foster care with a specific focus on refugee children. Many of these young teens come to the U.S from war-torn countries in hopes of a better life. Some of my work tasks include health appointments, home visits, reunifications with family members, obtaining official U.S documents and making sure the youth are placed in safe and uplifting homes. A lot of my inspiration for this work came from participating in and working with Hands of Peace.

Courtney Conway, 2016 Hand

After Hands of Peace, my life completely changed directions. I was on track to pursue a career in the arts, and was merely curious about studying world religions and volunteer work. Suddenly I found myself completely enraptured in what used to just be my side interests, and actively pursued a way to dedicate my life to this. I went through many phases of how I would go about it, the first of which being a Peace Studies degree at Chapman University. After a semester I realized that both the program and school were not quite right for me, so I left in search of a different path. 

Emily Kenward, 2015 Hand/2016 XL

My aspiration is to be an environmentalist fluent in global environmental policy, peacebuilding and diplomacy. I am entering my last year as an Environmental Biology and International Relations double-major at Tulane University, and my studies focus on conservation biology, environmental preservation, and public policy. More specifically, my current thesis project is concerned with the deleterious overlap between civil conflicts and biodiversity hotspots throughout the world, as well as how environmental conservation can be used to inspire conflict resolution. My experiences with Hands of Peace have prompted me to explore firsthand the complexities of the Middle East and environmental peacebuilding, specifically with regards to multinational water resource management.  

Alyssa Martindale, 2014 Hand/2015 XL

After moving to Washington D.C. for college, I found myself without an outlet for the nuanced dialogue about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that I had become accustomed to. My friends were entrenched in their respective sides, and often found themselves in heated ideological conflict with other students. I sought a student organization that focused on a dual narrative, but I was once again disappointed. Two years as an undergrad passed, and as the time for summer internships rolled around, I noticed a position at J Street. I had long admired their work, and was eager to get involved myself. I applied, and was lucky enough to be selected as a Public Engagement Fellow. My work is focused on planning the J Street Conference in late October, so my days are spent researching speakers and organizing logistics for the conference. These logistics involve everything from travel expenses to attendee registration. I work with the Events Team and the Communications Team to ensure that the conference goes off smoothly.  

Louisa Miller, 2016 Hand and 2017 XL

Attending the Hands of Peace program as a 10th grader complicated my goals for the future in a powerful but very unexpected way. I have been dancing since I was five and dreamed of one day having a professional career as my soul yearned for the artistic expression that dance provided. But I also knew I wanted to help others - I just wasn’t sure how yet. Hands of Peace was an incredibly transformative experience for me. It sparked a growing interest in conflict resolution, international relations and the different and unique ways one can promote healing in the world. I was suddenly torn between two passions, dance and the new world of conflict resolution that Hands of Peace had introduced me to.

Maeve Plunkett, 2015 Hand/2017 XL

This past semester I studied migration and transnational identity in Morocco and the Netherlands, learning Arabic, living with a host family, and interning with an international NGO combatting illegal migration of minors. The experience connected several themes I had noticed from Hands of Peace: notions of belonging based on historical connections to land, different religious groups clashing over misunderstandings and stereotypes, and arbitrary decisions about who can and cannot cross geographical borders which impact people’s lives at their very core.

Sophie Henry, 2015 Hand/2016 XL

I am currently a rising senior at Lewis and Clark College majoring in both Environmental Studies and Studio Art. This year, a fellow student and I facilitated a series of discussions about the various facets of dealing with climate change. While many courses offered at Lewis and Clark address climate change, we wanted to create a space where students from various fields of study would have the opportunity to contribute their diverse perspectives.