High winds challenge the Palouse as 2025 comes to an end. Animals find cover. It is spectacular, in a way, but mostly it threatens outages and damage. It does, however, remind us of basic community needs, the things that hold us together, in a good way — shelter, hot water, shared food.
Our community in Pullman, at WSU, is also deeply connected and committed to communities everywhere. Below, I share a wonderful full-circle example of how big ideas, that often start small, connect people and communities around the world. A compelling example of the deep connectedness and community that is WSU.
One of my favorite donors to the College of Veterinary Medicine, turned friend, shared with me a photo she came across from a trip they took to Rwanda in 2018. I was curious about what WSU and CAHNRS, the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resources, were doing in Gashora, Rwanda.
I forwarded to people most likely “in the know” (read “The vision that built a lasting impact,” Dr. Guy Palmer) and learned, through email threads of students, faculty, and faculty leaders, who helped support a program called Building Bridges with Rwanda (BBR) — a mission based on enhancing food security. The original story was published in CAHNRS Reconnect Magazine, 2012. A man who worked for BBR met the WSU team and ultimately earned his master’s degree and PhD in agronomy and crop science from CAHNRS. A relationship that continues today.
Now, back to my friend. The BBR center is located near the Gashora Girls Academy of Science and Technology, the very reason my friend was traveling to Rwanda as the Girls Academy was co-founded by a friend of hers from Bellevue, WA. WSU faculty have also been involved in the Girls Academy with a number of these young women coming to WSU as undergraduate and graduate students. How cool is that?
If you’d like to know more, you can always read the latest stories from our college on our news page. For even more content, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Be safe, healthy, happy, and stay hopeful. As I said on my first day on the job, the future is bright.
Take care and Go Cougs!