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May 7, 2019 | The Valley Catholic
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
Archbishop Mitty Without Borders
By Elisa Horta ’19
Archbishop Mitty High School’s
alumni spread their wings and travel
all over the world to serve others. With
the social justice-based education and
strong values that Archbishop Mitty
instills, students are left with a long-
lasting desire to help people around
the world.
In a small village called Sinendé
in Benin in West Africa, Archbishop
Mitty alumna Clemence Couteau ’12,
is volunteering as a rural community
health agent for the Peace Corps. She
recently joined Monarchs via Skype
to share her experiences and inspire
high school juniors to pursue service
opportunities overseas. Clemence leads
health education programs and teaches
people about local issues like malaria,
sexual health, nutrition, and maternal
health. She is most passionate and en-
thusiastic about the work she did for
International Women’s Day, where 400
girls from schools all around the com-
mune came together to march for more
concrete government action to support
education for women. Clemence helped
lead and organize this event because
she feels strongly about gender equity
and women’s empowerment projects.
“The hardest thing is just seeing the
huge gap between men and women,
and the opportunities that are not
available to women simply because of
their gender,” she said. “That’s why
women’s and girls’empowerment ac-
tivities have been an huge passion of
mine throughout my service.”
Clemence, who studied public
health at Stanford University, is highly
informed about what she teaches the
people of Sinendé. She has the advan-
tage of speaking fluent French, the
official language of Benin. Although
these conditions pulled her to Benin,
they are not what ultimately pushed
her to join the Peace Corps. Clemence
felt Archbishop Mitty’s Ethics, Culture,
and Justice immersion trip to India
had a strong impact on her decision
to join the Peace Corps. Archbishop
Mitty currently offers six ECJ trips
that study the culture, religion, and
history of one of the following places:
California, the Appalachia region in
West Virginia, Central America, India,
Jamaica, and South Africa. These trips
widen students’ perspectives of the
world, promoting service, cultural ap-
preciation, and a better understanding
of themselves and others.
“Mr. Wesmiller’s ECJ India trip in
2011 was actually the first big event in
my life that made me realize I wanted
to do more service work in foreign
countries,” Clemence said. “I loved
every moment of that trip, from the
cultural immersion to learning about
new religions, languages, and cuisines
and, of course, the amazing feeling that
comes with connecting with people
halfway across the world. It opened my
eyes to the fact that not everyone lives
the way I do and that not everyone has
equal access and opportunity to basic
needs such as health care and educa-
tion. This trip ignited something in me
that wanted to work in the global con-
text to solve some of these problems.”
Giving back to the school that in-
spired her to take this journey, Clem-
ence recently Skype called Archbishop
Mitty’s current ECJ California class
from a Peace Corp facility in Benin
to talk about her experience in the
program.
“The experience was really inspir-
ing because I was thinking of doing
something similar in the future,” said
junior Kristie Park. “Talking with her
allowed us to learn about what her
daily life looks like, and it was interest-
ing to hear a first-hand account of the
culture differences. The fact that she
is an Archbishop Mitty alumna made
her very relatable and approachable,
and I really enjoyed learning things
about her work ranging from a general
overview of what exactly she is doing
to what she misses most about home.”
Clemence’s interaction with the
class has encouraged current Arch-
bishop Mitty students to consider
pursuing their interests in serving
other people on an international stage.
This growing cultural appreciation
builds peace within communities and
advocates for those who are struggling.
Clemence shared that her long-term
goal is to work for an organization like
the World Health Organization, Cen-
ter for Disease Control, or the United
Nations, where she can continue to
positively impact the lives of others.
It truly is amazing how her ECJ trip
to India has altered her life path and
goals. She hopes that her story can have
a similar effect on those she talks to at
Archbishop Mitty.
Saint Lucy First Graders Celebrate Culture Day
First grade students and parents at
Saint Lucy School celebrated and expe-
rienced cultures from around the world
at their recent Cultural Day event.
Dressed in a variety of traditional
costumes, students and their parents
enjoyed a global banquet of entrees
and desserts from around the world.
This day of shared cultures and foods
brought the students closer together
and got them excited about exploring
and learning about themselves and the
uniqueness of others in their class.
It was a tasty way of learning and
embracing the distinctiveness of
many cultures. Sharing diverse cui-
sine and activities engaged students
and made them active participants in
their learning.