The American University of Paris

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wanja Laiboni ’07
 
BA in Comparative Literature and International Affairs, Magna cum laude.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cross-Cultural Communication
 
 
 

As I stood in line waiting for my name to be called out during AUP’s Commencement Ceremony on May 24, 2007 it was hard to believe that it was all over. During this critical moment, words and images rushed through my mind as I attempted to recollect my four years at AUP: the UNESCO Study Abroad Guide, FirstBridge, student workers, study trips, The Planet, Grenelle, diversity, friends, Combes, papers, Bosquet, the Kenyan economy, and of course, earning a scholarship award that made it all possible. Like every student at AUP, I had a story about how I discovered The American University of Paris and the ensuing experience as a student at this institution.

My memories of high school are of long stays in a rather stringent and studious Catholic boarding school in Nairobi. Instead of going on to university after graduation from high school, as many of my peers did, I came to France on a cultural and linguistic exchange program. Being in France would help me gain a very much desired mastery of the French language, which I had always been keen on. Nonetheless, at the heart of my decision to move to France was an unrelenting urge to break from the mold. In a word, I was searching for a different path. Towards the end of my exchange year in France I stumbled upon a copy of the UNESCO Study Abroad Guide and came across AUP on the first page. My university search came to a halt: I had found what I was looking for.

Being a Kenyan citizen, coming to AUP in 2003 proved to be tricky. Kenya’s economy had steadily plummeted since 1997 following gross corruption on the part of the government, political violence, and terrorist attacks that dealt a big blow to our then flourishing tourism industry. By 2003, the year I enrolled at AUP, a slow recovery was underway. Nonetheless, it would take a few more years before the Kenyan economy reached full recovery and before its citizens would feel the spill-over effects. A year after I joined AUP, it became apparent that I could not afford to continue my studies at AUP, and that I would have to look for another alternative.

Just as I had resigned myself to the fact that I would be leaving AUP, I found out about the Center for the Study of International Communications (Centre d’Etudes de la Communication Internationale-CECI) scholarship program. The application process for the scholarship entailed a series of rigorous interviews with CECI’s board of directors. Thanks to my strong academic record, study of journalism, and involvement with The Planet, I received the Annenberg scholarship award that allowed me to continue my studies here.

When I graduated from AUP, I took a lot with me: four years of academic and extra-curricular challenges, cordial relationships with my professors and great friendships with my multicultural cohorts. It was at AUP that I first tried my hand at writing and gradually became one of the editors of The Planet, the University’s student-run newspaper. It is also here that I witnessed the dynamics of cultural diversity at work and understood the indispensability of cross-cultural communication in our day and age. Though I am yet to fully understand the satire of Le Canard Enchainé, I’m confident in the level of French that I have attained over the years. All in all, I feel fulfilled when I look back at the four years I have spent at AUP. Not only did I seize every opportunity that the University and Paris had to offer, but I have also put my abilities to work, and acquired new ones.

Currently living in Juba in Southern Sudan, I am now managing CHF International’s Gender-Based Violence (GBV) program. The program’s key objective is to raise awareness of GBV using radio programs, and to build the capacity of key sectors such as law enforcement, legal affairs, health, and the psychosocial sector, enabling them to prevent and respond to gender-based violence more efficiently. Indeed, I’m putting my AUP degrees in Comparative Literature and International Affairs to good use!

 
 
 
 
 
 

Freedom from Cultural Stereotypes
by Christine Allen '96

Tolerance and Cultural Curiosity
by Zineb Ait Bahajji '07

On the Ground in Haiti
by Ramsey Ben-Achour '07

Humanitarian Nomad
by Sean Casey '04

Helping Child Soldiers in Countries Involved in Civil Strife
by Christin Cave '09

Everyone at AUP is a Minority
by Deborah First-Quao '09

President of AUP Student Ambassadors
by Maria Hertz '11

Learning from All Cultures
by Monica Heslington '97

A Forum for Creativity
by Peter A. Jones '06

A Small Community in Paris
by Carey Kluttz '09

Cross-Cultural Communication
by Wanja Laiboni '07

Paris: Forming a World View
by Carol Lambert (1965-66)

A Global Citizen... with Unexpected Perks
by Yann Lechelle '93

Embarking on Neuroscience
by Julie Leitz '07

A True Art History Experience
by Tryna Lyons '84

Paris is the Ultimate Muse
by Jeffrey Michels '87

Working with the World's Disenfranchised
by Courtney Montague '04

From Baghdad to AUP
by Matthew Ness '09

A True Multicultural Environment
by Fernanda Porto Rodrigues '08

Forgetting One's Differences
by Rebar Marko Taaeb '09

AUP: Gateway to the Future
by Murat Yucer '02

 
 
 

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