Buffalo State Travelers Present Mayor with Rwanda Gift

Last January when six Buffalo State students traveled to Buffalo’s sister city of Muhanga in Rwanda, they delivered good wishes from Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, ’83, along with donated cows, solar panels, and school supplies for needy families.

On Friday, May 8, the delegation presented Brown with a reciprocal gift from Muhanga’s Mayor Yvonne Mutakwasuku—a hand-carved wood map of Rwanda illustrating the nation’s proud artistic history as well as its contemporary patriotism. The students also shared with Brown stories of their three weeks in Rwanda as part of the Anne Frank Project (AFP) in which they taught teachers how to incorporate drama into the school curriculum to help students develop research, conflict resolution, community building, and critical-thinking skills.

“Our students are active world citizens proudly representing Buffalo State and the city of Buffalo,” said AFP director Drew Kahn. “It’s important that they bring their Rwanda experiences back to Buffalo to share and apply in their local communities. Global education must come full-circle in order to be sustainable and relevant.”

The students who took part in the college’s third annual trip to Rwanda were: Molly Bader, Rebecca Cannizzaro, Timothy Lane, Samuel Merriman, Robert Sherman, Ashley Weselak, and Chelsea Westlake.