Inspired by Judy Mayotte

Yesterday afternoon a woman named Judy Mayotte came to our house for lunch. She is the woman responsible for starting this program through Marquette University that has brought 21 of us students here to study and to serve. After listening to her for a little over an hour, it was very obvious that she is one of the most inspiring and incredible people I will ever meet. I couldn’t even begin to tell you all of the unbelievable things she has done, but here’s just one example: Judy worked with refugees and in refugee policy in several conflicts in Africa. She lost her leg when working in the war zone in Sudan. Today she is in a wheelchair, as you see in the picture. Since losing her leg and being unable to continue work in conflict areas because she cannot run, she has taken up many other projects and at the age of 75 is still very involved in the efforts to prevent wars by promoting peace. She is also on the board of the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre and though she lives back in the states, she is in South Africa right now for her 75^th birthday party, which 80 people (including the Tutu family) attended in SA! I could go on all day and I could have listened to her story forever. The point is: she is awesome. She is resilient and strong and so down to earth and humble! She had absolutely no problem keeping a room of twenty-one 21-year-olds entertained for a few hours with her stories and her humor. 

Judy was also so motivational in her advice to us. She admitted that she was prepared for the world she faced as a young adult but that she is not prepared for the world that we face. However, she expressed her faith and confidence that our generation is ready to face it. It is definitely a daunting thing, coming to South Africa and seeing problems first hand. We heard a speaker at UWC tell us a few days ago how the issues in South Africa represent nearly all the major issues that are occurring globally today. Knowing that our generation is going to have to be the ones to handle said issues is a scary thing, but having someone like Judy express faith in us and share such a positive perspective makes me want to live up to those expectations even more.  She shared with our stories of former students in this program who have truly made a difference in South Africa and in the entire continent. Though many of us are here to enrich our own lives and can only hope to have a positive impact, it is that much more rewarding knowing that we too can leave something positive here.

Without Judy, I wouldn’t have this opportunity to be here in South Africa having the most amazing experience of my life. So I just want to thank her for creating such an incredible program and experience for us students and for being an inspiration and a true hero and advocate for the continent of Africa. 

Seriously, Google her. She's fascinating.