We are excited to recognize Francisca Lawson Tettevie, a PhD student in the Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies (College of Education and Human Sciences) as the recipient of the Mary E. McClymont Award.
Francisca’s research focuses on “Pamoja,” a multi-disciplinary international project made in collaboration between the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Amref International, and Moi University in Kenya. “Pamoja” seeks to train undergraduate and graduate students to address health inequities in forced migration.
In explaining her project, Francisca mentioned the program’s commitment to helping individuals, "The program's first cohort comprised about 60% of students with refugee or immigrant backgrounds, showcasing our commitment to bringing individuals with lived experience to the table to contribute to forced migration research, practice, and policy. Students received about one month of training on Canvas about forced migration, fieldwork, and cultural and ethical considerations before the in-country experiential experience in Nairobi, Kenya. The in-country experiential training allowed students to shadow leaders of refugee-led organizations to have hands-on experience serving refugees and locals in different ways, like counseling groups, skills training, language classes, farming, etc.”
Francisca is dedicated to supporting low-resource communities in Africa by helping students with refugee or immigrant status to be empowered to give back to their communities. Francisca aspires to work with the UN or other international organizations to advocate for intervention and policy changes to help families and communities.
In advising students, passionate about helping, Francisca encourages students to help others through research: “I would tell students interested in human rights advocacy and research to stay curious and understand the importance of working with others from different fields. To effectively use information and shift power dynamics, we need to understand the contexts of the issues we are addressing. We can do that through our lived experiences or by working alongside those who have lived experiences. At the heart of everything, you should believe that ‘a better world is possible.’”
