Derry woman joins in college trip to Peru

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July 18, 2008

DERRY — A Derry woman was among a group of college students spending time in Peru to learn lessons about other cultures.

Sarah Coghlan, a senior at Saint Michael's College in Vermont, and a 2005 graduate of Pinkerton Academy, was among a group of philosophy students that traveled to Peru this past spring to expand their college study experience and to develop a more sensitive perspective on how other people live.

The group was led by Saint Michael's assistant professor of philosophy Dr. Katherine Kirby, who said she wanted her students to meet people facing all degrees of life struggles and experiences. The trip took place from May 18 to June 1.

"The most important aspect of the program, according to Kirby, was to witness how many people are neglected by all others.

Before heading to Peru, the students in the philosophy class learned about the poor, the abandoned, rejected, ill and the elderly. Along with classroom study, the students carried out local serving-learning projects in Vermont, working with children and others in need.

Once they got to Peru, the students worked with poor people in Lima in the Mission of Charity home for older men no longer able to care for themselves, and also with disabled children found abandoned on the streets.

"It was a pretty powerful experience for the students," Kirby said. "Students fed the residents lunch. It had an impact on my students."

Students also visited a soup kitchen, schools, local pueblo parishes and cultural sites, and heard talks from local experts in government and religions.

Coghlan, a senior journalism student from Derry, is the daughter of Kevin and Diane Coghlan.