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Gail Danley

Bio Summary
Cohort Year: 
2013
Home Institution: 
University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown
Heinz Programming Area: 
Environment
Study Abroad Country: 
Cyprus
International Experience

Gail Danley spent five weeks studying animal science in the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. She studied at the University of Nicosia which is located in the capitol city of Cyprus, also known as Lefkosia. Nicosia is considered to be the last divided capital in the world and this allowed Gail to experience both Greek and Turkish culture in one location. Her university and apartment was located on the southern Greek half of the country. Her studies consisted of two courses: Animal Health and Disease and Animal Husbandry in the Mediterranean which. These were the first animal-focused classes of her undergraduate career in pre-vet biology. Gail had the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and first- hand experience with animals used in agriculture. She had the opportunity to visit a chicken hatchery, a piggery, two dairy farms, and a goat farm. From these experiences she learned valuable information such as how to artificially inseminate a pig and how to recognize heat stress in animals. In addition, Gail was able to shadow a local small animal veterinarian. The shadowing experience and farm site visits enabled her to compare many animal care practices to those in the US. One thing she noticed on every farm was the emphasis on conserving energy and discovered how sustaining animals on an island can be different than in other places in the world. In addition to class work, on weekends Gail had the opportunity to explore different cities in Cyprus. Through her travels Gail had many cultural experiences such as the trying the local cuisine, Greek dancing and of course indulging herself with Turkish coffee. She documented her journey through photography. Her experience was not only cultural, but self- enlightening. Gail considers this abroad opportunity a life changing an unforgettable experience.

Community Engagement Experience
CEE Title: 
End the Silence 5K Run/Walk

End the Silence 5k Run/ Walk focused on raising awareness about human trafficking and domestic violence. We organized this race in a way that made people think globally and act locally. We opened the race with an information session. During this information session, we talked about our experience abroad and our countries individually. We then lead into human trafficking on a global level and focused on its prevalence in each of our three countries and in the United States. Next, a representative from the Johnstown Women’s’ Help Center spoke about domestic violence on college campuses. This brought focus to a local issue and hit home with a lot of students. The program then lead into our 5k run/walk. Our walk was interactive with three stations at each mile marker. Each station, challenged the participant to answer questions about human trafficking or domestic violence.  This allowed them to reflect on what they had learned. The last station really encouraged people to share the information they learned with their peers. Overall, we ended the silence and not only by placing bells on the runners’ shoes. The UPJ campus thought globally and acted locally during the End the Silence 5k.

End the Silence 5k Run/ Walk focused on raising awareness about human trafficking and domestic violence. We organized this race in a way that made people think globally and act locally. We opened the race with an information session. During this information session, we talked about our experience abroad and our countries individually. We then lead into human trafficking on a global level and focused on its prevalence in each of our three countries and in the United States. Next, a representative from the Johnstown Women’s’ Help Center spoke about domestic violence on college campuses. This brought focus to a local issue and hit home with a lot of students. The program then lead into our 5k run/walk. Our walk was interactive with three stations at each mile marker. Each station, challenged the participant to answer questions about human trafficking or domestic violence.  This allowed them to reflect on what they had learned. The last station really encouraged people to share the information they learned with their peers. Overall, we ended the silence and not only by placing bells on the runners’ shoes. The UPJ campus thought globally and acted locally during the End the Silence 5k.

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