Alumni Bios

2007

Alex

University: St. Jerome's College, UW
Placement: Honduras

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it showed me my disabilities and how to overcome them.

Alison

University: St. Michael's College, UofT
Placement: Honduras

Intercordia was meaningful for me because my heart grew bigger with the love I experienced and my trust

Amanda

University: St. Jerome's College, UW
Placement: Ghana

Amber

University: King's University College, UWO
Placement: Honduras

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it made me confront and explore personal weaknesses, and recognize and utilize personal strengths. This experience opened my mind and heart to many beautiful people whom not only pushed me to grow but offered their support and trust in me. This experience is a part of who I am today, and I am extremely thankful to those people that opened their hearts to me.

Annalisa

University: St. Thomas More College, UofS
Placement: Mexico

Intercordia was meaningful for me because I experienced the gift of celebrating life together with people who are different than me. The people I lived with in L’Arche taught me about love and acceptance, patience and forgiveness and ultimately that life is all about relationship. We miss out on rich life experience when we do not allow ourselves to engage in relationship with those around us, with those who are different than ourselves, with those that are overlooked in society.

Ashlee

University: St. Thomas More College, UofS
Placement: Mexico

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it gave me the opportunity to see where my dreams could take me. Because of intercordia I have stronger convictions about my place and purpose on this earth. Thank you!

Ashley M.

University: St. Jerome's College, UW
Placement: Ukraine

Intercordia was meaningful for me because I realized that I am human and am not afraid to love.

Ashley R.

University: King's University College, UWO
Placement: Ghana

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it allowed me to challenge myself on every level of being human; physically, emotionally, intellectually and spritiually. It also allowed me to make extremely valuable and meaningul relationships with so many people who welcomed me as a stranger into their community and their homes. It has truly been a life changing experience.

Brianna

University: King's University College, UWO
Placement: Ecuador

Intercordia was meaningful for me because I found my place in my host family and a sense of belonging I’ve always struggled to find in my life.

Emily

University: St. Thomas More College, UofS
Placement: Honduras

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it allowed me to understand that global solidarity involves more than sharing resources, expertise and a desire to be a force of positive change in the world; it is about sharing our common humanity, warts and all.

Fiona

University: St. Michael's College, UofT
Placement: Nicaragua

Intercordia was meaningful for me because now I know I should be alive - not necessarily happy, but trying. I think that I should work to try to make others’ lives happy too.

Heidi

University: St. Thomas More College, UofS
Placement: Ghana

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it removed the misconceptions and illusions regarding the “other”. I feel it has humbled me, encouraged me to be a good listener and a life-long learner. This experience also allowed me to be open to different ways of looking at the world which has deeply enriched my life. I will forever be thankful for this experience and the opportunity to meet the people that I shared it with.

James

University: St. Michael's College, UofT
Placement: Ecuador

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it challenged me to break down barriers within myself, it taught me humility, and the beauty of being still and simply listening to another’s story, most significantly, it allowed me to master my fears and the opportunity to stand hand in hand, in solidarity with people who were radically different from myself but who would later become my family.

Jason

University: St. Jerome's College, UW
Placement: Honduras

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it gave me the unique opportunity to not only meet, but live and interact with people from a different culture. Coming from a small town it was an eye opening experience. My project and host family in Honduras shared with me their approach to life, one in which I learned many valuable lessons. My unforgettable experience also made me appreciate all the little things in life we take for granted here in Canada.

Jenny

University: King's University College, UWO
Placement: Ukraine

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it brought me together with some of the most special people I’ve ever met. It showed me that if I want to help people, it does not require any specific action on my part, but just my attention and care.

Kasi

University: St. Jerome's College, UW
Placement: Honduras

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it taught me to see the world in a new way. Where I once just saw hardships, I now see also the joy, the courage and the love.

Kevin

University: St. Thomas More College, UofS
Placement: Ghana

Intercordia was meaningful for me because I got to go to Africa! Living in Ghana for 3 months not as a tourist, helped me to become very close with the people that I met and to better understand where they’re coming from.

Kevin G.

University: St. Jerome's College, UW
Placement: Ukraine

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it forced me to challenge my thoughts and actions.

Kristina

University: St. Thomas More College, UofS
Placement: Honduras

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it has helped me become more aware of my own understandings of the world: both positive and negative. Also, stepping out of my comfort zone has helped me understand self oppression and that I should not be afraid of who I am and where I came from.

Lauren

University: King's University College, UWO
Placement: Brazil

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it gave me the determination to live life despite hardships and the realization of the true unity that envelops us all despite the differences that we believe separates us.

Laurie

University: St. Thomas More College, UofS
Placement: Ukraine

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it put me face to face with my own weaknesses and allowed me to find my strength in others.

Linh

University: St. Thomas More College, UofS
Placement: Honduras

Intercordia: Intercordia was heartbreaking for me; at times it was even unbearable. I cried almost every night and every night I promised myself that today would be the last day of humiliation and belittling. But then
there would always be something the next day that kept me hanging on, a real hug from a silent wife or a look of true sadness from an abused teenage girl. Intercordia has made me question a lot of things I once thought I understood - things like family, hospitality, dignity, and personal identity. It even made me question the very notion I was set out to defend - the notion of justice. I certainly can’t tell you the moral of my story because even I have not yet fully grasped it. What I can tell with a kind of proud certainty is that I have suffered but also I have loved and was loved, and I came out with some kind of wonderful fullness that is waiting to be understood.

Meghan

University: St. Jerome's College, UW
Placement: Ghana

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it showed me how to be truly compassionate. By living a new way of life, I was opened up to a new sense of belonging and community. I connected with people I couldn’t speak to and overcame differences with people who weren’t that different afterall.

Michelle

University: St. Jerome's College, UW
Placement: Ecuador

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it allowed me to see and be as one with those around me. Looking past the colour of our skin, there was really no differences between us. I was there to learn and they were eagar to teach me anything and everything. I was part of the community, I was part of a family, I was part of something that I will truly treasure forever.

Mitch

University: St. Thomas More College, UofS
Placement: Bosnia

Intercordia Intercordia was meaningful for me because of what it taught me about myself, the world, and the way in which I perceive that world. The world and life is so much bigger than it seems, this experience taught me that and helped me to realize what was truly important.

Natalie

University: St. Michael's College, UofT
Placement: Ghana

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it showed me what a true community is about: a community in which people go out of their way to help others even though they have so little themselves.

Nicole

University: King's University College, UWO
Placement: Brazil

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it helped me learn about the amazing power of love in the world. All it took for me to feel happy was for someone to love and accept me and share their biggest smile with me. And I realized that it’s also so easy to love people because love doesn’t need reasons - it just needs to be.

Nicole S

University: St. Jerome's College, UW
Placement: Nicaragua

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it gave me hope despite all the poverty and oppression. I had the opportunity to be part of two large initiatives that were improving the quality of life of people bit by bit.

Pamela

University: King's University College, UWO
Placement: Nicaragua

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it made me think about life in a way I hadn’t before.

Rebecca

University: St. Jerome's College, UW
Placement: Kenya

Rebekah

University: St. Jerome's College, UW
Placement: Kenya

Intercordia was meaningful for me because I learned the importance of believing in what you are doing.

Tara

University: St. Jerome's College, UW
Placement: Ukraine

Intercordia was meaningful for me because even though things in life tend to change constantly, there are always a few people there to catch you when you fall and you may find that the people behind you may shape the person you become.

Tegan

University: St. Jerome's College, UW
Placement: Ukraine

Intercordia was meaningful for me because I met the love of the girls at the Internat. They loved me without care of who I was or what I did. They loved me because I was there.

Theresa

University: King's University College, UWO
Placement: Ecuador

Intercordia was meaningful for me because it opened my eyes to a whole new world. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything! I grew so much and enjoyed learning hands on from the experience. I met incredible people who have touched my life and my heart. Intercordia reminded me of my passion to take action when life gets overwhelming and the going gets tough. I enjoyed the simplicity of life, and learned that what most people would think of as having nothing, was indeed everything.