Michele Girard: Volunteering in Haiti

University of Maine senior Michele Girard is a political science major with a minor in international affairs. The North Yarmouth, Maine, native is an Honors College and Dean’s List student, and an accomplished athlete, with three top-10 triathlon finishes in her age category. In September 2014, Girard is volunteering to work with youngsters in Haiti as part of the Be Like Brit organization.

Describe the organization you are volunteering through.
The organization I am working for is called Be Like Brit. The orphanage was started from tragedy. Britney Gengel was 19 and volunteering in Haiti when she was killed in the 2010 earthquake. Before the quake hit, she had sent a text to her mom saying that she wanted to start an orphanage. A year later, her family started Be Like Brit, one of the most unique orphanages in the country. The goal is to house 66 children; they have just accepted their 47th.

I chose Be Like Brit because its story was so personal. They founded an orphanage in her name, I knew it was a group I’d want to work for because of the compassion of this family.

What will you be doing in Haiti?
When you apply to be a Britsionary, a long-term one, you can stay one to three months. To be accepted, you have to submit a proposal for what you would like to teach the children, as well as a detailed outline of the goals you plan to achieve. My proposal was to teach field hockey, a sport they don’t know, because it provided a lot of structure in my life when I played at Catherine McAuley High School in Portland, Maine. I thought it would help these children, too. For one month, I’ll be living at the orphanage teaching the sport, as well as working on various renovation projects and teaching English.

Beyond academics, what extracurricular activities occupy your time?
I am the current president of the Delta Mu Chapter of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity. I also teach in the children’s program at Sugarloaf Mountain, and have participated in triathlons in the New England area. I love to travel. This past May, I went to Russia with the Maine Business School and have been to England, France, Ireland and Canada, and, in a few weeks, Haiti as well.

What are your plans after graduation?
I hope to attend graduate school for foreign service. I’d be assigned as an ambassador to countries where the Unites States want to maintain a presence; most current ambassadors are going to places the Middle East, Latin America and Africa. It is a two to four year program for graduate schools such as John Hopkins, Harvard and Georgetown.

What difference has UMaine made in your life and in helping you reach your goals?
The support I have had here on campus has been overwhelming. My professors have gone above and beyond to ensure that I can reach my academic goals. But more than that, they have cared and continue to care about my development and achievements outside of the classroom.

Why UMaine?
UMaine was special to me because it allowed me to explore what I wanted. There are such a variety of departments and classes, I can be extremely well rounded. In addition, the relationships students have with each other add perspectives that I knew I wanted to have in my collegiate experience.

How would you describe UMaine’s academic atmosphere?
Rigorous. The classes I have taken both in the Honors College and in the Political Science Department require me to constantly re-evaluate what I know about the world. Every day I get excited about a new idea, whether it is an unfamiliar phrase in one of my language classes or upcoming U.S. foreign policy. I am never bored.

Have you worked closely with a professor or mentor who made your UMaine experience better?
I am so fortunate to have many mentors on campus. For example, with my trip to Haiti, the Political Science Department, as well as the Honors College, bent over backward to shift my classes so I could go. I think that says volumes for how much the staff cares about the success of students and the role of the UMaine community in the world.

What is your favorite place on campus?
The highest riser at the football stadium. I have woken up at 3 or 4 a.m., walked to the football field, and climbed to the highest place I can to watch the sun come up over campus. Sometimes friends are with me and sometimes I’m alone, but it always seems to help me think.

While in Orono, I’ve spent too much time…
Chatting with Professor Singleton about foreign policy.

Class that nearly did you in?
It was my freshman year and I had Professor Brewer for a freshman seminar in the Honors College. He is now my adviser and one of the professors I respect most on campus, but he was tough. I was introduced to the rigors college very quickly.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have …
Taken the time to really listen to people. It’s one thing to not talk, but I’ve learned it’s another to really understand who they are.