Class IV (2006-2007)

Sponsor Club: Cheyenne, Wyoming, District 5440, USA

As a Rotary World Peace Fellow, Leah J Aylward will graduate in December 2007 with a Masters in International Relations – Peace and Conflict Resolution from UQ. Her educational background includes a B.A. from Harvard University in Environmental Science and Public Policy with certificates in International Development, Latin American Studies, Spanish and Teaching. As a U.S. Fulbright Fellow at the University of Manizales in Colombia, Leah studied and researched the university’s involvement with community development from June 2005 until February 2006. As a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, Leah spent 2003 in Costa Rica studying at EARTH University focusing on agricultural sciences and sustainable development of the humid tropics. Leah has also carried out internships at the United Nations Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean in Santiago, Chile; the Foundation New Era Galapagos in Ecuador; and the Costa Rican Foundation for Sustainable Development.

She has also had the opportunity to sing with the Radcliffe Choral Society of Harvard on their three week South African tour and live in Okinawa, Japan as a U.S. Peace Scholar. She is fluent in Spanish. Leah has had an incredible experience as a Rotary World Peace Fellow studying at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Through coursework and her relationship with the talented professors at UQ, she has broadened her interest and knowledge in the areas of socioeconomic equality and development in Latin America and its relationship to conflict resolution and peace. Along with the incredible learning environment the UQ provides, assisting with undergraduate teaching has been a wonderful opportunity for Leah. Therefore, she plans to start her PhD sometime in the next few years. In the future, Leah hopes to teach and carry out research to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and understanding surrounding issues of international development, inequality and their relationship to violent conflict and peace. Her specific region of interest is Latin America. Leah also looks forward to her continued relationship with Rotary International in promoting goodwill, peace and understanding in both academic and practical settings in order to become a small part of positive change throughout the world.