UMass Boston Alumni Magazine - Fall/Winter 2008-2009 - (Page 15)

Bro. Straton, principal of School of the Sciences in Byimana, explains, “We appreciate help, but want to be able to stand on our own two feet. And education is the only way out.” Education is free to grade six, but uniforms and supplies are not, and many lack the means to pay for them. The Rwandan government, committed to education for all, faces a steep challenge: between the 1994 genocide and AIDS, there are a million orphans. School of the Sciences, a private secondary school run by Marist Society brothers, educates the brightest of Rwanda’s children regardless of religion or ability to pay. Of its 850 students, 269 are orphans. Sponsors cover costs for 49 orphans. Committed to raising funds for the rest, Geyer has added a new mission: “to get those three boys into Brother’s school.” ThE oRiGiNAL MiSSioN For Geyer, a native of Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, education is not just a leg up but also a window to other worlds. She began her career in the Boston public schools by teaching English as a Second Language to Cambodian high schoolers. At the Timilty and Dearborn middle schools she forged generational and cultural bridges through Promising Pals, a letter-writing program pairing students with Boston area adults. The insights she accumulated during those years all came together when she became principal of the multicultural Ohrenberger Elementary School. Retiring in 2004 after seven years as principal, Geyer was determined not to let her creative energy and professional skills go to waste. She sought out Sister Ann Fox, director of a South Boston educational nonprofit called the Paraclete Foundation, and soon became a board member. She also joined the education committee for the Maranyundo School in Nyamata, Rwanda, a foundation initiative. This private, non-denominational girls’ school run by Rwandan Catholic sisters gives 60 seventh- Clockwise from left: Wall-building at the Maranyundo School; Bro. Staton; Carol Geyer and Sr. Felicity; boys along the roadside. UMass Boston n 15

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of UMass Boston Alumni Magazine - Fall/Winter 2008-2009

UMass Boston Alumni Magazine - Fall/Winter 2008-2009 Contents UNews Oh, the Places They've Gone! "One of Those Rare Leaders" Acknowledging History, Renewing a Commonwealth Heart and Mind Indelible Images About Alumni Investing in UMass Boston A Generous Friend Alumni Calendar

UMass Boston Alumni Magazine - Fall/Winter 2008-2009

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