June 21, 2023
Alumni Giana Blazquez-Bultman (M.F.A. 2022), Laura Epperson (M.F.A. 2020) and Kati Koerner (M.F.A. 1998) reflect on their experiences working with educators in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Their reflections were shared at the Let's Read at the Tertiary Level Student Symposium this past May.
Educators in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) hosted the Let's Read at the Tertiary Level Student Symposium to focus on the use of drama-based pedagogy for aspiring teachers. The inter-ethnic symposium was funded by the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo as part of the Let's Read project, an arts-based literacy program designed in partnership with UT Austin's Drama for Schools and Lincoln Center Theater. Among the Let's Read collaborators was faculty member Katie Dawson, who has spent years sharing the foundations of drama-based pedagogy with educators in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Dawson has enlisted the help of alumni and students for much of her international work, many of whom have become integral parts of the Let's Read project and the continued collaborations with BiH partners.
Leading up to the Let's Read at the Tertiary Level Student Symposium, Dawson was asked to create an introduction from UT affiliates who have been involved in this work over the past five years. Faculty, students and alumni reflected on their time working with BiH educators and the impact this experience had on their own lives as artists and teachers. Below is a segment featuring alumni Giana Blazquez-Bultman, Laura Epperson and Kati Koerner.
Original video (including music and backgrounds) created with VidDay.