On his first visit to Capetown, South Africa, Byron Miller saw something eye-opening: "I wasn't expecting such a dramatic contrast," he said. "Just beyond this wealthy, prosperous city, there were miles and miles of shantytowns."
Those shantytowns are home to many orphans who speak neither English nor Afrikaans, the two predominant languages of South Africa. With funding from a Boren Fellowship, Byron had arrived to help teach English to the children: "Without language skills that would enable them to find good jobs," he said, "the children would probably continue to live in poverty."
Byron and his fellow volunteers developed a curriculum focused on repetition of the alphabet and simple words to help the children quickly learn basic English. "At first, it was really difficult, since none of us spoke the languages that most of the children knew," he said, "but we began to see real progress after just a few weeks." The volunteers also ran after-school sports and dance programs to help keep the children out of trouble.
In addition to being an eager teacher and volunteer, Byron, a government major at Hamilton, is also an avid student of politics. While in South Africa, he quickly became fascinated by the country's dramatic political history and, specifically, of "District 6," an area of Capetown demolished under apartheid regulations in the 1960s.
"The destruction of District 6 was one of the most significant events in the cultural history of South Africa," he said. "In Capetown, I had access to scholars and a vast amount of research materials, so I was able to learn a lot of the story very quickly."
When he returned to Hamilton in the fall, Byron outlined a research project focused on the effects of the District 6 demolition, and he ultimately won an Emerson grant to fund that work, including a trip back to Capetown. Now he hopes his research -- like the volunteer teaching -- will help the situation in South Africa by educating people about the impact of the District 6 demolition.
"My experiences in Capetown have really made me feel lucky for the opportunities I've had," he said. "I'm glad that I've been able to give a little back."
