Empowered with a Gettysburg College education, our students strive to make a change in their countries through leadership and service opportunities.
Since 2016, Gettysburg College has partnered with the SHE-CAN scholarship program, empowering young women to become catalysts for change in their home countries of Cambodia, Liberia, and Guatemala. Through this partnership, Gettysburg continues its mission to create a diverse and inclusive campus community. Empowering students with a breadth and depth of knowledge from a liberal arts education and leadership skills, Gettysburg is committed to supporting women as they become forces of change.
Sema Williams ’27 is one of several SHE-CAN scholars blossoming at Gettysburg. As a member of the African Student Union, Williams began her journey as a SHE-CAN scholar through her nonprofit Girls Breaking Barriers in her home country of Liberia to help young girls learn leadership and entrepreneurship skills. Her mentorship team includes several senior directors from VMware, Inc., as well as Vice President and Corporate Controller of thredUP, Inc. Pamela Arquelada.
“A SHE-CAN scholar means being courageous, being confident, and being able to help humanity, and standing in a room with thousands of people and saying, ‘Yes, I can do this,’” said Williams, an international relations major.
Williams’ nonprofit Girls Breaking Barriers teaches young people about entrepreneurship and leadership in six different high schools around Liberia. She especially noticed during the COVID-19 pandemic that many children were not going to school. Girls who were attending school rarely participated in leadership roles. Williams believed that if she helped these girls learn leadership skills in school, they would gain confidence to lead after graduation.
After coming to Gettysburg, Williams took the Human Rights Policy and Practice in the Caribbean course with Africana Studies Chair and Eric J. Wallach Endowed Professor of Peace and Justice Studies Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams. This class explores the spread of human rights policies and practices, especially within the Caribbean. She took that knowledge with her this summer, joining the Center for Public Service (CPS) for a summer fellowship in Tucson, Arizona, for the Humanitarian Aid for Asylum Seekers fellowship.
“[Prof. Williams] gave me knowledge about human rights and enlightened me so much, especially about immigration. I had an opportunity this summer to go to the border and see it for myself. From what I was discussing in my class to what I get to hear from people and seeing what is happening, putting all the pieces together was enlightening,” said Williams.
Partnering with Casa Alitas and other charitable organizations, Williams traveled along the Arizona-Mexico border with other Fellows to learn about immigration and food justice.
“The fellowship made me more passionate about what I want to do. It’s not just about people traveling or leaving their country because they want to come over. It’s about advocating for those people and making sure they’re safe and that they and their children are safe. Imagine seeing your parents running all their lives, and you have to grow up and keep running for your own safety.”
Drawn to Gettysburg’s close-knit community and small class size, Nimol Seng ’28 is the most recent SHE-CAN scholar to attend Gettysburg. Seng wishes to improve the international relations of her home country of Cambodia to strengthen its foreign investments. To help attain that goal, she has been grouped with a team of five U.S.-based mentors, including Liz Cassal, vice president of the Family Office Group of Baron Capital Group, Rohnda Datzman, retired teacher who practices for over 30 years, Juli Betwee of Pivot Point Partners, and David Brezner, former employee of Morgan Lewis.
“It takes a whole person to be a SHE-CAN scholar because SHE-CAN scholars are selected holistically. One of the main aspects is to have the potential and leadership skills and the passion to make change,” said Seng. “It’s really important for young women like me to have younger generations who will help make change in their home countries.”
Seng hopes that close relationships between her and Gettysburg’s world-class faculty can blossom and lead to even more opportunities for growth and mentorship.
Applying their growing base of knowledge and enduring skills, Seng and Williams plan to take what they’ve learned at Gettysburg back to their homes, joining a growing group of young female leaders who are working to improve their countries’ well-being.
Williams already has plans to expand her nonprofit and continue to work for the betterment of her country and others by working on the Board of Peace in Security in the United Nations.
“With my education from Gettysburg,” Seng said, “I’ll be able to make a change in my home country after graduation and contribute to the betterment of Cambodia.”
Make a change today in the Gettysburg College community. Contact the Center for Public Service.
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By Katie Lauriello ’25
Photos provided by Sema Williams ’27, Nimol Seng ’28, and Shawna Sherrell
Posted: 11/06/24