St. Mike's Katie Stickney of Fair Haven, Vt., to study child health in New Delhi, India

Related Media

Saint Michael's Katie Stickney on a study-tour to India

COLCHESTER, VT (11/01/2010)(readMedia)-- Acting on the lesson that "compassion is nothing without action," learned through a three-week study of religion in Southern India, Saint Michael's College junior Katie Stickney is pursuing a full semester of study in India. The anthropology major, Spanish and global studies minor, will be studying Health and Human Rights in New Delhi, India, from January through April.

Ms. Stickney, the daughter of William and Antonette Stickney of Fair Haven, Vt., is the recipient of The Lacey International Fellowship in Social Justice, designed to support and recognize students of excellent academic achievement and dedication to social justice. Through it, Ms. Stickney, a Dean's List, all-As student, received a $2,500 grant to support her study abroad experience.

Last winter Ms. Stickney studied philosophy and architecture in Southern India, viewing Buddhist statues, Hindu temples and Jain carvings. She also witnessed poverty in the cities, towns and villages, and came away wanting to focus on health and human rights of marginalized populations. She hopes particularly to focus on healthcare systems and child rearing techniques, and on gaining real competence, for she now believes that "Compassion without competence is a cruel hoax upon those whom they serve."

A lesson learned

Ms. Stickney writes that she was particularly inspired by a lesson learned in a small village within the Tamil Nadu section of India. A small girl befriended her over the course of a week, invited her to her modest home, and had her sit in the one chair of the household. The child then gave her a toy-a plastic figure of Daffy Duck in a captain's uniform, which she insisted Ms. Stickney take to remember her by. This was likely the only toy the child owned. That level of generosity, towards someone with comparatively great wealth, inspired Ms. Stickney's determination to study children's health in India.

Course of study

Ms. Stickney will study in New Delhi, through the School for International Training, with seminars in India and its Health Care Systems, Traditional and Modern Health Care Systems, Health Care Issues, and Health and Social Justice. The program will explore the links between public health and human rights, with a focus on women, children, tribal and other marginalized and vulnerable populations in India.

Ms. Stickney will also go on excursions to nongovernmental organizations, research institutes and hospitals in urban and rural locations, including Bangalore, Jaipur, Chiottogarh, Varanasi, and others. She will have a week-long internship with a local public health organization, and will take 60 class hours studying the Hindi language. There will also be a field study seminar and an independent study project.

Learn What Matters at Saint Michael's College, The Edmundite Catholic liberal arts college, www.smcvt.edu . Saint Michael's provides education with a social conscience, producing graduates with the intellectual tools to lead successful, purposeful lives that will contribute to peace and justice in our world. Founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund and headed by President John J. Neuhauser, Saint Michael's College is located three miles from Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top college towns. It is identified by the Princeton Review as one of the nations Best 371 Colleges, and is included in the 2011 Fiske Guide to Colleges. Saint Michael's is one of only 280 colleges and universities nationwide, one of only 20 Catholic colleges, with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Saint Michael's has 1,900 undergraduate students, some 500 graduate students and 100 international students. Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Pickering, Guggenheim, Fulbright, and other grants. The college is one of the nation's top-100, Best Liberal Arts Colleges as listed in the 2011 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

-30-