Sara in South Africa

In July of 2026, I had the opportunity of a lifetime. I traveled to South Africa with a cohort of fellow students and educators from Rutgers University. Our cohort was shepherded by the incomparable Doctor Darren Clarke, an honorary mayor of Mzansi. Over only 19 days, a blip in the grand scheme of life, we traversed the nation and left few stones untouched. We went on safari in Pilanesberg, shopped (haggling may be more apt) at the Sunday Market in Rosebank, learned at a museum in Soweto, and went on outdoor adventures at the Cape of Good Hope. We toured secondary schools in the Cape Flats and met with students, teachers, and a principal. We went on a walking tour through Mamelodi with a renowned reverend and historian. We even saw two movies at the V&A Waterfront and went on an evening stroll through Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden. We did not go to South Africa; we intentionally walked in the shoes of the people we met through the stories they told in the places they occurred. It was the most transformative time of my life, and I am so lucky to bring all that I learned into my classroom this fall, as an eighth-grade Social Studies teacher.