Kate Knight Presenting Research at 10th Annual Human Development Conference at University of Notre Dame

In honor of the Human Development Conference’s ten year anniversary, this year’s theme was “Decades of Development: Contextualizing the Past, Envisioning the Future”. This conference afforded me my first real exposure to international development studies, a field that analyzes the dynamics between the developed and developing worlds and the debate within individual countries including, among other topics, poverty, inequality, health, education, gender, and environment.

While I felt proud to present my own work this weekend, it was even more of a privilege to meet and hear the ideas of other undergraduate students who had conducted research all around the globe. I was inspired by the trials and tribulations of my fellow peers, their hard-earned and enhanced cultural competencies, and the common desire we shared to learn more about the developing world. From the livelihood and dignity of squatters in Kathmandu, Nepal, to the socioeconomic status symbol of using Pampers diapers rather than nappies in Zanzibar, Tanzania, this weekend challenged me to brainstorm solutions to some of the world’s larger development obstacles. At the same time, hearing the stories of so many other student’s time abroad reminded me the importance of community engagement. I am proud to attend a higher education facility such as Rollins that is constantly reminding me of my position in the world. Though so many of us might think we are ready to act on these big ideas that we have, the first step should be deep integration within the communities we hope to serve alongside. The importance of listening and thinking before acting should not be undervalued.