A School for Girls in Morogoro, Tanzania: Becoming Both a Teacher and a Student
Tuesday, September 15th, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Travel virtually across continents to Tanzania with Jean Merrill ’69, neuroscientist and award-winning photographer and volunteer teacher in the English Fluency Program at SEGA (Secondary Education for Girls Advancement) School in Morogoro, Tanzania. SEGA is a secondary school which focuses on educating promising girls whose futures are at risk due to poverty, disease, sexual exploitation, child labor, violence, and malnutrition. With a photojournalist’s touch, Jean will introduce you to Tanzania, its topography, history, British education system, and the SEGA School, traversing the school’s cycle of learning, community service, traditions and joyous celebrations, including graduation.
The English Fluency Program, started in 2015 by Smith graduate Sherley Young, was designed to solidify the students’ English language skills since English is required for their secondary studies of 11 different subjects.
Jean discusses what lies ahead for these future women of Tanzania, including dreams of advanced education, at home and abroad, potentially including attendance at Smith College.
Following the presentation, Jean will be pleased to entertain your comments and questions.
About Jean
Dr. Merrill, a 1969 Smith graduate, received an MBA from the UCLA School of Management, her PhD from the UCLA School of Medicine
and completed a postdoctoral fellowship on Multiple Sclerosis (MS) at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. Returning to UCLA School
of Medicine as Professor of Neurology for 19 years, she led a research lab of undergraduates, graduate students, medical students, postdocs
and visiting professors on MS.
Jean left academia and spent the second half of her career as an executive in the Biotech and Pharma industry. She was a member of the team
that developed the second orally available drug (Aubagio) approved by the FDA for MS in 2012.
Recently, Dr. Merrill led a J term course at Smith College instructing juniors and seniors in the business and science of drug discovery. She has made several
presentations and had a photographic exhibit of her experience teaching at SEGA.
Topic: A School for Girls in Morogoro, Tanzania: Becoming Both a Teacher and a Student
Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2020
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM (EDT)
Limit: 100 participants.
You must be registered before 2:00 AM on Tuesday, September 15, 2020 to join the event.
The Zoom link and password details will be shared a few days prior and again on the day of the event.
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