“I did it! I have traveled completely around the world! And I can’t wait to do it again!” wrote Communication senior Sarah Graber in her last dispatch from her three-month journey across England, South Africa, Kenya, Mauritius, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina.
The theater major received a grant of $7,000 as the 2004 Circumnavigator’s Club Around-the-World scholar.
The Circumnavigators Club Foundation funds travel around the world and research for juniors at select universities. The students must produce an original research paper after their three-month travels. The foundation has provided grants to 80 students since 1971. Graber is one of four Northwestern students sponsored by the Chicago chapter in its history.
“Eye-opening, mind-blowing, and insane” was how Graber described her journey around the globe.
She chose to study how theater is used as a communication and education tool to create social change in communities worldwide.
Graber visited performances, universities, theater festivals, companies and schools. She also interviewed audience members as well as those involved in the art-making process.
“Every country used theater in a different way,” Graber said. “Learning the techniques and styles was huge for my understanding of theater.”
One of Graber’s most memorable experiences was attending a performance during the Grahamstown National Arts Festival — an 11-day celebration of South Africa’s diverse art and culture.
“It was mind-blowing to see an audience mesmerized by the art and the message the show communicated,” Graber said.
Daniel Hoyle, the recipient of the 2002 grant, immersed himself in the issues concerning workers in third-world countries. His research focused on the effects of economic globalization on ordinary people, living in Vietnam, Thailand, Kenya, South Africa, Argentina, Ecuador and Mexico.
Hoyle, Communication ’03, emphasized the necessity of visiting third-world countries to fully grasp the complexities of globalization. As a result of his interaction with people in these countries, Hoyle said he brought back an understanding of globalization that went beyond media coverage of the issue.
“You gotta go there to know there,” Hoyle said. “It’s all about not having preconceptions before you go.”
Hoyle’s experience served as a launching pad for his career as an actor and provided material for a one-man play about his travels.
Hoyle’s play, “Circumnavigator,” features more than 20 characters from his travels. It is playing at the The Marsh, a San Francisco theater, until Nov. 13. Holye works in the city as a freelance journalist and actor.
Juniors can apply for the grant by submitting a four-page research proposal and resume, and being interviewed by board members of the Circumnavigator’s Club in Chicago. Every year a screening committee, led by Associate Provost Stephen Fisher, reviews about twenty research proposals. Applications for the 2005 grant are due in early December.
“We’re looking for serious, mature juniors who have a clear idea of their project and its values to the world,” said Carol Narup, vice president of the Chicago chapter.
Three finalists are interviewed by the chapter, which then selects one overall winner to receive about $7,000 to cover trip expenses.
“Our motto is to leave the world a little better than we found it,” Narup said.
Reach Ilya Bunimovich at [email protected].
