Hollins University is a liberal arts school located in Roanoke, Virginia. Each year students have the opportunity for the month of January to choose between studying abroad, interning with an organization, researching independently under a professor, or taking a course on campus. This is the fourth year Hollins and the Peace Boat US have partnered together to give students a closer look into what the Peace Boat does for the world and current projects and initiatives to promote peace and sustainability. This month four Hollins interns will be promoting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through various activities in New York, attend events hosted by the UN and other local partnership organizations such as Global Kids, research funding opportunities for building the world’s greenest ship, the Ecoship, and canvass for the summer Peace Boat voyage entitled “Peace Education and the Sustainable Development Goals in Latin America.”

Nicole Curran is a senior International Studies major at Hollins University. Through her major, Ms. Curran’s studies focus on the DPRK (North Korea), China and Japan. She is interested in the censorship and its portrayal in media; specifically how it creates preconceived notions and negative effects that play around the world today. Peace Boat US caught Ms. Curran’s attention because it is a place where anyone from any background and anywhere in the world can come together to create sustainable dialogue and break barriers to promote peace.

Alexis Hughes will be a graduate from Hollins University in February of 2017 with a degree in philosophy. Prior to the Peace Boat US, Ms. Hughes interned with the largest child law program in Virginia, the Legal Aid Justice Center, advocating for equal access to education and proper support for children with special needs and mental health issues. She worked briefly with the Legal Justice Aid team on the RISE for Youth campaign to close juvenile prisons and promote community-based and rehabilitative alternatives to youth incarceration. Ms. Hughes is enthusiastic about women’s rights as well as moving education and religious systems forward. She is skilled in problem solving and public speaking. Alexis plans to devote her life to advocacy for disenfranchised populations and will be pursuing a Master’s degree in Conflict Resolution in the fall. She’s thrilled to have the chance to be mentored by professional peacemakers at the Peace Boat who spend their time fighting for a more equal, just, and peaceful world.

Lilly Potter is a sophomore at Hollins University double majoring in English and International Studies. She is passionate about human rights, international relations, and sustainable development. Ms. Potter has taken every opportunity to be a global student, listen to foreign perspectives, and immerse herself in other cultures. She was fortunate enough to study environmental sustainability through urban development and eco-farming while in Singapore and Malaysia. Ms. Potter is thrilled to have the opportunity to continue her global education as an intern at Peace Boat. Looking forward, she hopes to take the lessons she has learned at Peace Boat and apply them in her pursuit of a graduate degree in international law.

Dade Hundertmark is a sophomore at Hollins University double majoring in international studies and philosophy. At this time, she is also the standing president of Humans for Justice, a 501(c)3 that supports education for survivors of human trafficking within the United States. Passionate about ethics and developmental economics, she looks forward to this opportunity to observe and participate in an internship that will allow her to see the extent to which nonprofits can make their mark on the world. Outside of her work, Ms. Hundertmark is an avid equestrian and a resident feminist killjoy, as well as a fan of nail polish, Daenerys Targaryen, and the mangrove ecosystem. She believes that through practical application of theory, passion, and an ear toward the community, both sustainability and development can flourish, while protecting the rights and customs of native communities. Ms. Hundertmark also firmly believes in the role that youth serve to further these goals in this age of communication, and is grateful for her chance to serve Peace Boat US for this term.