The Rotary Club of Oxford Aug. 30 hosted Southfield resident Lucine Eusani, Rotary International’s 2005 World Peace Scholarship winner.
Eusani, a University of Michigan graduate, was one of 70 students awarded this scholarship. She is the fourth student from U-M to win since the scholarship’s inception.
Eusani will be using her scholarship to pursue an MA and Mphil (Masters of Philosophy) degree at the University of Bradford (England) in Conflict Resolution for the next two years.
‘They have a specific group called the Politics and Social Change Study Focus Group which works specifically on post-conflict situations,? she said.
The Rotary Centers for International Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution, which are located at seven different international universities including the University of Bradford, offer individuals committed to peace and cooperation the opportunity to pursue a two-year master’s degree at any of these centers.
Eusani was nominated by the Rotary Club of Southfield for her extensive contributions to peace efforts.
‘It is an international competition. It is very competitive and there are hundreds and hundreds of applicants,? said past District Governor Virginia Nordby, who is also on the committee for the Rotary Centers.
Eusani first became interested in conflict resolution during her years at Southfield High School. She participated in peer mediation, helping students resolve their conflicts non-violently through dialog.
‘One of the things I believe helps foster that type of understanding and community is that it really begins on an individual level,? Eusani said at the Oxford Rotary meeting.
At U-M, Eusani worked for Inner Group Dialogs, focusing on racial relations. Once again, she saw that same ‘thread of truth? as she did in the high school.
‘That’s what sort of got me wondering, if that’s true on an individual level and a smaller, social level, how does it work for larger societal conflicts?? she said.
To answer this question, Eusani used her Fulbright Scholarship to research the 50-year-old civil war in the country of Colombia.
She spent eight months helping children and young adults who have been displaced from their homes because of violence in their country.
She even helped children from either side of the conflict see that they’re not as different as they might think.
‘Conflicts often arise when we believe that life is a win, lose situation,? she said. ‘What we were showing these kids is that that’s further from the truth. Often what they wanted was the same thing and that they could solve their conflicts without having to kill one another.?
Rotary first had the idea for the World Peace Scholarship 25 years ago, but Nordby said they had to devise a program that would focus on peace, not just building a building.
‘What we’re trying to do is more narrowly tailor and focus our efforts on peace,? Nordby said. ‘By bringing these students together, it acts as a cohesion and they’re working together as a group.?
Nordby said the first group of students to finish the two-year program have just graduated and Rotary is tracking their efforts.
Oxford Rotary Club President Bill Devine said this scholarship is ‘one of the finest endeavors? that the Rotary Foundation is involved with ? training young people to be thoughtful peace advocates.
‘What better service is there for the Rotary to help?? he asked.
After she’s finished with her education, Eusani said she would love to work for the United Nations.
‘I think there are a lot of opportunities for an international governing body to sort of take the forefront in doing a lot of the post-conflict reconstruction,? she said.
For students interested in pursuing world peace and conflict resolution, Eusani said creating a model United Nation program in high school would be the first step.
‘I think in American high schools we don’t learn what’s going on in the rest of the world,? she said. ‘We’re very isolated. Once you get into college and beyond, this whole world opens up and there’s so much going on.?
Eusani also recommends becoming fluent in another language.