Susan Sheridan, director of CYAF, embarked on a two-week mission to Haiti



Susan Sheridan, director of CYAF, embarked on a two-week mission to Haiti

10 Jan 2012    

A two-week mission trip inspired Susan Sheridan to help improve education efforts in Haiti.

Sheridan, director of the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools, traveled to Haiti in September. She spent the majority of her time in La Montagne, a rural region far from the bustling cities of Jacmel and Port-au-Prince.

That experience reinforced Sheridan’s faith in the power of education to transform lives in a quantifiable way.

“Education, education, education — that’s really all that it’s about,” Sheridan said. “We’re not trying to change their culture or minimalize their belief systems. We want to show that medicine and education can help them lead healthy lives.”

Sheridan conducts research based on her interactions with educators and students in Nebraskan schools, specifically in rural areas of the state. “My trip (to Haiti) aligns so well with what we’re doing here at the center,” Sheridan said. “We’re about reaching and exceeding potential and when we think about the potential of the Haitian people, it’s endless. With a little education, they can go so much further.”

 

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College of Education and Human Sciences