A lot goes on behind-the-scenes at USP. It’s an exciting
place to work, and every today is different from yesterday! In today’s blog we
are highlighting our Program Assistants, lovingly referred to as our PAs. Every
semester the three PAs – one Ugandan and two Americans – work closely with each
other and the rest of the staff to keep things at USP running smoothly.
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| Martha (Ugandan PA 2015) and Courtney (current US PA) hiking Sipi Falls during Rural Homestays debrief |
PAs do everything from organizing field trips to baking
cookies, from restocking our med kits to having deep conversations with
students about cross-cultural living. They work in the office planning events,
sitting at the front desk, preparing sack lunches for road trips and drinking
lots of tea! But not all their work is in the office – you can often find them
running errands in Mukono, chatting with students over smoothies at one of the
campus canteens, tagging along for a class field trip or visiting students at
their homestays. Even outside formal work hours, they’re still on the job – living
in the same dorms as our students, eating the same food, shopping at the same
supermarkets and sharing plenty of laughs and stories and adventures with
students.
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| Our PAs are reeeeeally good at making PB&Js! |
Present and former PAs agree that this is one of the most incredible job opportunities out there! It’s not everywhere that you get paid to build relationships and deepen your own faith and convictions through mentoring others in a cross-cultural experience. Plus, the PA position holds a lot of potential for professional development, regardless of what fields PAs enter post-USP.
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| Former PAs Brenda, Innocent, Katie, Jones and Andi at a PA reunion last weekend in Kampala |
Here’s what some of USP’s PAs have to say about the job:
“I loved being able to share in the same life changes,
difficulties, excitements, and emotions of students coming into this program… It
was a huge blessing to be able to walk with them through that, to share with
them so they felt heard and understood, as well as to spur them on in the midst of these experiences to keep serving the
Lord for whatever he was calling them towards…”
– Molly Summers, American PA
2010-2011
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| Current Ugandan PA Gilbert Nuwagira making a stop at the Post Office while running errands in Mukono town |
– Jones Ahabwe, Ugandan PA 2010-2011
"The best thing about being a PA is being back in Uganda (of course). The next best thing is being around the USP staff - they are truly fun, enjoyable, dedicated people who make the office atmosphere hospitable and friendly. I was always happy to go to work every day at USP... And the next best thing is being able to engage with students as they start to find their place at UCU and in Uganda. It is a great job all around... Through my experience at USP, I learned how interested I was in intercultural study abroad education, and I have shaped some of my work in my soon-to-be-finished master's program accordingly to allow me to better pursue this path. I also became more interested in teaching and more interested in understanding the process of forming students beyond the classroom."
- Jordan McGurran, American PA 2011-2012
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| Innocent (Ugandan PA 2013) at tea time with student Michaela |
“I’ve always heard it said that you learn and understand
concepts best through explaining them to others. I wanted to come back as a PA
because I wanted to deepen my understanding of the values of simplicity and
presence that I learned as a USP student. This
job has given me so many opportunities to not only guide students but also to
join them as learners while we observe and talk through the realities of the
world we see around us.”
– Prudence Gordon, current American PA
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| Prudence (current US PA) checking up on one of the med kits |
“When I think of being a PA for the Uganda Studies Program I
think of friendship. This position, over and above being fun and enjoyable (although
it was definitely that) was an important position for me – in my thinking, in
my being, in my loving and in my ever-growing. It is important for us to learn from people and places that are
dissimilar to us – and not just learn from people, but find that we can also be
truly friends with those that are
different, and not-so-different-after-all than us.”
– Hannah Groves,
American PA 2013-2014
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| Martha and Prudence make sushi at Rachel's house during Christmas break |
“The beauty of being a Program Assistant is that the
experience is both meaningful and exciting, as well as an incredible opportunity
to grow and develop as a professional. I
have found myself over and over again being challenged in leadership,
organization, character development, and cross-cultural engagement. USP is
the perfect place to develop professional skills in a safe and supportive
environment, all while engaging in the lives of those around you and building
truly valuable relationships.”
– Courtney Beiler, current American PA
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