Sunday 29 January 2017

USP reunion

We're excited to announce our second
All-USP Alumni Reunion
THIS SUMMER!
July 1-2, 2017
 Trinity Christian College 
Chicago, Illinois
Meet up with USP students from your semester and make new connections with students from other semesters! 
Connect with former and current staff members!
Learn what's happening currently at USP and UCU!
Plan a fun day in Chicago with others from your semester!
Five years ago, USP had its very first all-USP alumni reunion in Washington DC with 60+ in attendance spanning the ten years of the program. It was a fun and meaningful weekend of connections and re-connections. Students from the same semesters had a good excuse to get together and reminisce, and those who shared the same host family or practicum sites finally had the opportunity to finally meet one another. Staff members from various USP eras were present, as well as a number of Honors College/ UCU students who were living in the US at the time.

Our hope is to have a USP reunion every 5 years in a different region of the US. We are excited to head to the midwest this year, to the great city of CHICAGO! This is a fantastic destination city to explore with friends... its relatively easy/inexpensive to get to with two major airport hubs, has a great public transportation system, deep dish pizza, the best Ethiopian food in the country and... the CUBS!

We'd love to see you and catch up... so get in touch with others from your semester, plan a fun weekend together and COME!

Reunion 2012
Chicago 2017 Details:
Days/times: 11:00am Saturday, July 1-- 1:00pm Sunday, July 2. 
Location: Trinity Christian College (Southwest suburbs of Chicago) We have reserved suites which accommodate up to 4 people. You can book a whole suite, if you plan to come with your family, or get a group from your semester and book a suite together. 
Cost: Our goal is to keep the cost as low as possible. Accommodation for one night plus two meals will likely be approximately $50 per person. (There will also be a family rate...) More details coming soon!
Registration: Our registration link will be live by March 01, 2017. We will use the USP FaceBook page to announce when it is open, and post updates on reunion plans as we go. If you are not on FaceBook and would like to receive updates, please send an email to: m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.  

USP Staff sure to be there:
Mark and Abby Bartels -- USP's founders (along with kids Daniel, Mary and Rachel)
Rachel Robinson -- Former IMME Coordinator and current USP Director
Micah Hughes -- Global Health Coordinator (with his family Avrey, 
and daughters Ella and Zion)
Julie Darcey-- Program Assistant 2011-2012
Julia (Yoder) Rawlings Onghetich -- Assistant Coordinator 2014-2015 (with husband and HC alum Bob Rawlings Onghetich, and their son Tim) 
Katie Green -- Program Assistant 2014-2015/ Assistant Coordinator Fall 2015
Innocent Atimango -- Program Assistant 2013 / current Administrative Assistant (PRAY for her visa, folks!!!) 
Becca Stripe-- Program Assistant 2016-2017
Fingers Crossed!!: Ruth Berta (PA 2012-13), Hannah Groves Cowman (PA 2013-14),
Courtney Beiler (PA 2015-2016)
Take Action:
1. Put the reunion on your calendar and plan to come!
2. Email with any questions: m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org
3. Send photos from the last reunion: abigailgbartels@gmail.com 
4. If you are connected with others from your semester, and are willing to get in touch with them via email so that we can try to get in touch with as many folks as possible, email rachelrobinson1@mac.com.

Any and all of these actions are a huge gift to us as we try to nurture the threads of community that began in Mukono and have now spread through time and place!


💥Fun photos from our last reunion!💥

Mark and Gwyn on registration:

Getting to know who's who:

The contingent from USP's Spring 2007 semester:

All the 'sons and daughters' of the Etokoit host family in Mukono:

UCU and Honors College alumni in attendance:

...There may have been some debriefing 😀:

...and sharing experiences:

Updates, greetings and epic slide shows from USP/ UCU:


Creative Processing (aka gorilla art!):



See you in Chi-Town this summer!

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