In late Fall of 2014, Nina Sobotka and Jan Raether were awarded Stern Fellowships through the Clark Honors College. The Stern Fellowship funded their participation in a weeklong seminar on Human Rights and Violent Conflict at Oxford University over Spring Break. Throughout the seminar Nina and Jan had the opportunity to learn from preeminent scholars on humanitarian aid and peace studies such as Hugo Slim and Cheyney Ryan. Additionally they were able to engage in discussion with students from universities across the United States. They have returned not only inspired, but hopeful about the future.

For more information on Nina and Jan’s award, see:

https://international.uoregon.edu/CHC_fellows_at_Oxford

Participating in the CGO has had a huge impact on my worldview because it has give me the chance to analyze different ethical issues going on around the world and listen to the different view points from students that come from all around the world with different ethnicities and educational backgrounds.

The CGO has allowed me to foster relationships with different students and professors that share a passion for    global ethics.

My worldview has been dramatically influenced from my participation in the CGO because of the opportunities that were given to speak with a variety of prominent guest speakers regarding different social justice issues. The CGO has served as an open space that has allowed me to maintain relationships throughout my college experience because of its weekly meetings and community outreach events.

Having the opportunity to attend classroom sessions with incarcerated individuals gave me a completely new perspective on many ethical dilemmas and forced me to critically reassess my stance on many different social justice issues. This change in my worldview has given me the drive to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in order to help make a positive impact on impoverished communities around the world through community economic development.

 Being a member of the CGO for the four years I have spent at the University of Oregon contributed to my drive to expect more from systems of authority for not only myself, but also for those not actively involved in advancing my own personal interests.

When I chose a Freshman Interest Group during registration for UO, I had two routes to take: I could either choose a challenging FIG that was in the beginning stages and be instrumental in the CGO’s creation, or I could choose a less challenging and concrete FIG.

After some deliberation with my mother, I chose the CGO.

I did not know what to expect the first day I moved into the residence halls, but I remember meeting Shaul as my mom and myself were scrambling to decorate my room before the first CGO dinner. I remember playing frisbee with the 15s on the first day and then heading to the LLC Performance Hall to figure out what we had signed up for. I remember nervousness when Shaul asked us to define the term “ethics” and being unsure as to whether my definition was worthy.
I was taught throughout my childhood not to challenge systems of authority. Choosing to be a part of the CGO my freshman year was my first challenge to this authority. I began questioning institutions and my own perspective of the world.

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