Alyson Passanante

Aly graduated with a BA in Peace and Conflict Studies and Psychology. She studied abroad in Rwanda and Uganda through SIT’s Post-Genocide Restoration and Peacebuilding Program. To culminate the semester, Aly conducted an independent study project on trans-generational memory and the process of post-genocide storytelling in Rwanda.  Her theses for both Peace and Conflict Studies and Psychology tied back to her research and experience in Rwanda, analyzing collective memory and the psychology of evil, respectively. After graduating from Swarthmore, she interned at the African Community Center of Denver, where she worked on the community outreach team and with students in the Colorado Youth Refugee Scholarship Program. She then served a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer at the Meskwaki Food Sovereignty Initiative (MFSI) in Iowa. As the Food and Culture Education Coordinator, she focused on capacity building, developing curriculums and workshops, working in the community gardens, and ensuring that MFSI’s projects respect, preserve, and rebuild the tribe’s traditional beliefs and practices. In her free time, Aly loves playing soccer and hiking and is looking forward to exploring the national parks in the region.