World-Class University

Victor Kai-Rogers
Sierra Leone
It’s All About Perspective

In recent years, St. Lawrence has forged a relationship with United World College (UWC), by participating in a new scholarship program that brings students who have attended one of the UWC campuses to St. Lawrence. (For more on UWC, go to www.uwc.org/about_intro.html.) Last winter, UWC invited St. Lawrence to submit a profile of one of its UWC students to the upcoming UWC annual report, and that profile is minimally adapted here. Victor Kai-Rogers ’08, of Freetown, Sierra Leone, attended the Armand Hammer UWC unit in Montezuma, N.M, before coming to St. Lawrence.

For Victor Kai-Rogers, it’s all about perspective – his, and others’. His motivation in all he undertakes is to gain new perspectives, and to share his own.

For his first-year core course at St. Lawrence University, Victor chose Peace, Power, and Sustainability because, he says, “I have always been interested in what peace means. It’s more than absence of violence. And it’s a global issue.” He was the only non-American in the class of approximately 40, and while he enjoyed offering his international perspective, he says he equally appreciated hearing the points of view of his American classmates.

“Victor was great to have in class,” says one of the course’s two professors, and his advisor, Assistant Professor of Philosophy Laura Rediehs. “He brought not only an international perspective but also an impressive knowledge of world events. In his final research project he wrote a very strong paper entitled ‘Peace and Trade’ in which he examined whether or not free trade between economically interdependent countries tends to facilitate peace and cooperation. He argued that free trade sustains peace in cases where peace already exists, but cannot on its own create peace—if countries are already in conflict, other kinds of intervention are needed.”

That paper grew out of his long-range plans for college and beyond. Victor intends to declare an economics/mathematics combined major, with the goal of becoming a development economist in order to help developing countries, or a banker or financial manager working in the area of economic development. He plans to return home to Sierra Leone, where he says the need not only for economic development but also for experts in the financing of that development is great.

Because he sees Third-World economic development from more than one perspective, for the second half of his first-year core sequence Victor enrolled in the First-Year Seminar Doomsters and Cornucopians. “We’re looking at two opposing views of the environment,” he explains. “The Doomsters say rapid development will destroy our environment, and the Cornucopians say the environment will be fine. If I go into economic development, I must be aware of these things.”

When asked what skill he has carried with him from UWC to St. Lawrence, Victor says it is the ability to explore questions across cultural perspectives. Rediehs provides an illustration: “Early in the year, when asked to share what he loved, his reply was ‘intelligent conversation.’” Victor elaborates, “I like to exchange ideas about crucial world issues with people who have different views.” He also writes poetry, and, says Rediehs, “submitted some wonderful poetic reflections for our ‘walking journal’ assignment, for which students were required to take weekly meditation walks and then write up reflections as part of the ‘inner peace’ component of the course.”

Victor also brought his love of music from UWC to St. Lawrence. At Armand Hammer he and some friends established a popular African music ensemble. Upon arriving at St. Lawrence, he joined the Laurentian Singers, the University’s 40-voice a cappella choir. Asked if he intends to introduce the group to some African music, he smiles as though to say, “Of course!” Music occupies much of his leisure time; he enjoys listening to hip-hop, gospel and “just about anything,” as one might expect someone who constantly seeks new perspectives to say. By way of offering some of his perspectives, he hopes to organize an African cultural festival on campus next year.

“Victor is committed to building relationships and fostering community,” says Kathleen Buckley, University chaplain and another of his first-year teachers. “I’m pleased that he has applied to be an assistant in our first-year course next year.” Victor says this will allow him to help new students. He also tutors math at Canton ’s middle school. “Helping others is a great way to share perspectives,” he says with conviction.

—NSB