Student discovers creative passion while volunteering as teacher in Africa
Kurt Oberreither
-News Editor-
The Global Justice Project’s president Vanessa Redensek, sips hot chocolate in the mid-afternoon October sun, revealing the dried, red acrylic paint mirrored on her forearms. She sets her mug down, brushes her blonde dreadlocks to her left, twists her right shoulder counter-clockwise with her left arm and then blindly points to her right shoulder blade. In ink is the outline of Africa with several countries colored in red.
“Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Eritrea. All four of the places that are very close to me,” Redensek said with a smile and a giggle.
Nine years ago, Redensek picked the African country of Zimbabwe to research for a social studies class; she discovered human trafficking and other injustices in Kenya.
Five years later, she was in Africa teaching orphaned children math, English and art.
Redensek’s research paper has taken her throughout the country and abroad. Now she is at STLCC Meramec studying art education to further her fight for social justice.
In the summer after high school, Redensek met an African native at church who had family in Kenya. His family offered her transportation from the airport in Kenya if she could find a plane ticket.
“When I found my plane ticket, I had 11 days to raise $2,000 and I hadn’t raised a single penny,” Redensek said.
Redensek said through several acts of charity she found her way to Africa
“I raised $2,000 in 11 days by going around to all my friends and was like, ‘Do you want to give me $20 to go to Africa?’ Everyone was like, ‘Go to Africa. Go, go, go.’ People are awesome,” Redensek said.
