Humanitarian’s fluency in Swahili facilitates travel in Kenya
January 12, 2009
After serving a Church mission, anthropology major Braden Duncan decided that he needed to learn a language to travel the world. He was surprised that the College of Humanities' Center for Language Studies (CLS), which is funded in part by donations, offered Swahili, a non-mainstream language that intrigued him because of his interest in Africa. He took courses and then traveled to Kenya. "Having a basic understanding of the language helped me escape paralyzing culture shock and have a more meaningful experience," he says.
Duncan is preparing to return to Kenya on an undergraduate field-study of an HIV/AIDS prevention program. "I am grateful that CLS offers Swahili, despite the small number of students who take the course," says Duncan. "I am also grateful for all those who make learning these languages possible."
