Shansi REPresents a Lifelong Community - A Letter from Vanessa Champagne ‘13
Dear Shansi Friends and Supporters,
My experience as a Shansi Fellow was transformative. Having served at Lady Doak College from 2015 to 2017, I worked with dynamic women leaders who taught me, collaborated with me, and helped shape my worldview. They inspired me to pursue a meaningful career in education, advising, and administration. When asked what Shansi REPresents to me, I think of these women and a lifelong community that continues to motivate me, even though I now live a hemisphere away.
In August, I had the opportunity to travel to Madurai for the first time since my fellowship ended. Though the city had changed, I felt like I had come home. A highlight of the trip was reconnecting with Dr. Roopa Ravikumar, a former Shansi Visiting Scholar who had taken me under her wing during my fellowship. Roopa encouraged me to be bold in my engagement with students and faculty at Lady Doak. She supported the collaborations I facilitated between Tamil artists and African Diaspora dancers and always provided meaningful insights to discussions I led on art and religion. It was an honor to show Roopa how the investment she made in me eight years ago still influences my work as an educator and mentor.
During my trip, I also had the honor of welcoming Donnie Harris into the lifelong community that Shansi has fostered in Madurai. As the first Shansi Fellow to American College in nearly fifteen years, Donnie’s arrival was monumental for both institutions. He received a warm welcome from faculty, students, and Visiting Scholar alumni, whose memories of Shansi animated conversations about the value of meaningful intercultural exchange. While nostalgia drove some of the welcome events, Donnie and Phoebe von Conta, the current Shansi Fellow to Lady Doak College, have kept their sights on the future. They are shaping Shansi’s relationships in Madurai in real time, and I am so excited about everything they are accomplishing.
I invite you to see Donnie’s welcome for yourself. This video, produced by Shansi staff, shows how central community is to Shansi’s work. And if you haven’t already, I encourage you to share what Shansi REPresents to you. You can fill out this form to share words and stories on Shansi’s impact in your life. I also invite you to see some of the submissions we’ve gotten from friends and alumni over the past week.
Finally, I hope you will consider making a gift to Shansi this season, if you haven’t done so yet. Visit www.shansi.org/donate to give online or send a check to Oberlin Shansi, 50 North Professor Street, Oberlin, OH 44074.
You can also donate appreciated stock or consider making a Qualified Charitable Distribution as part of your IRA RMD. Learn more about these tax-advantaged opportunities from our website or by emailing us at shansi@oberlin.edu.
Your support REPresents a meaningful investment in Shansi Fellows, grantees, and Visiting Scholars. It allows the lifelong communities we’ve built to thrive for generations to come.
Sincerely,
Vanessa Champagne
Former Lady Doak College Fellow
Oberlin Shansi Trustee