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Each year SAEP provides a "gap year"
programme for a group of recent township high school graduates who can
profit from a year in which they can improve their basic skills
(including computer, English language, and life skills), study to
rewrite their "matric" exams and improve their chances of university
admission, and explore their options for further education or training
and careers.
Towards these aims, the Gap Year Interns
receive tutoring and mentoring from many members of the SAEP community.
Meet two of these volunteers, Jane Cullina and Karolin Pampel.
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Jane Cullina
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Jane Cullina grew up in a suburb of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with her mom, dad, sister, and brother
and the sound of trains rumbling past their backyard. Jane attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where she developed a love for
cold-water swimming and an interest in South Africa, stemming from a
course she took examining the nation's political heritage and social
issues. Today, she draws on both of these interests as Gap Year
Programme Coordinator at SAEP.
After graduating with a degree in English and
French, Jane moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where among other
endeavors, she worked as an assistant teacher at The Learning
Project Elementary School and became smitten with the field of
education. Jane spent her evenings and weekends running with the
Greater Boston Track Club, persisting in her battle to vanquish the
800m. |
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At SAEP, Jane works with the 2007 Gap Year Interns to develop
individual learning programmes, toned abs, and an ethic of community
service. Jane also teaches the Interns English in preparation for
their end-of-the-year exams. The Interns teach Jane about
perseverance, humor, community, and how to cut tomatoes with dull
knives. |
Jane on a hiking trip in the Cederberg |
Karolin Pampel
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Karolin Pampel is a recent graduate from
Erasmus University of Rotterdam in the Netherlands where she received a
MSc in International Economics. She acquired her BA in International
Business in the country of her origin, Germany, at the University of
Paderborn. During her undergraduate studies Karolin spent a semester
studying abroad in Spain and gained international experience doing
internships in France and Austria.
Given her interest in
development economics, Karolin wrote her masters thesis about the
influence of education on economic growth and income inequality. After
graduation, she decided to work in the field of education in a country
with high inequalities and thus came to South Africa to spend 3 months
as a volunteer at SAEP. During this time she mostly worked as a teacher
for maths and economics in the Gap Year Programme. |
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The experience at SAEP allowed Karolin to gain great
insight into the South African educational system and its shortfalls in
the townships. In addition, she enjoyed volunteering in such a friendly
and welcoming organization. After returning to Germany, Karolin plans to
work in the field of development aid. |
Karolin preparing for a Maths lesson at the Gap
Year offices |
SAEP
thanks Jane and Karolin for their dedicated work with the Gap Year
Interns!
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