When asking current students and alumni which of our Ethics and Leadership case studies was the most challenging, many of them say that it is the week that we spend learning about the 1994 Rwandan genocide. As part of this learning experience, we view the powerful Ghosts of Rwanda documentary, talk with Carl Wilkens, the only American to stay behind during the genocide, and struggle with the tough ethical questions that arise from a crisis such as this one. This summer, 13 students had the opportunity to wrestle with those ethical questions again through our first annual trip to Rwanda, hosted by Carl and his wife Teresa.

This group of students, comprised from semesters past and present (and future!), spent 2 weeks touring the Rwandan countryside. They visited sites such as the Gashoga Girls academy, Akagara National Park, and the Murami Genocide Memorial, and talked with those who were personally affected by the genocide – both survivors and perpetrators. In addition to creating a policy document on post-conflict resolution, our students also live-blogged their experiences on our website, which you can see here.

Congratulations to our inaugural “SEGL in Rwanda” class, and a special thanks to Carl and Teresa Wilkens for hosting us!