Senior Fencer Presents Research In New Zealand
December 16, 2014 | Fencing
Chestnut Hill, Mass. -
Like most college students, senior fencer Berent LaBrecque spends a lot of his time reading and studying educational books. However, LaBrecque did something a bit out of the ordinary for a college senior and wrote a chapter for one of these educational books.
The Cheshire, Conn. native subscribes to the Peace and Conflict Development Network which caters to those interested in peace and conflict resolution. After finals in May he jumped on an opportunity to submit an abstract for a chapter in a book about peace and conflict in Africa.
In early July, LaBrecque received word that his abstract had not only been accepted to become a full chapter in the book, but he was also invited to present his research at the African Studies Association of Australasia and the Pacific conference in New Zealand over Thanksgiving break. He had no time to waste and spent the rest of his summer writing the chapter.
LaBrecque’s work is about discriminatory counterterrorism practices and interreligious peacebuilding in Kenya. The chapter will be published in “African Frontiers: Insurgency, Governance, and Peacebuilding in Postcolonial States”, a book forthcoming from Ashgate Press as part of their Plus Series in International Relations and Politics.
“This opportunity has solidified some things [for me]. I’ve always wanted to do research and write as a career, but this is the first time I’ve ever had any sort of external validation. Other conference participants told me that if I hadn’t said I was an undergraduate student, no one would have known. That really meant a lot to me. Hopefully PhD admissions committees think so too,” said LaBrecque of his experience in New Zealand over Thanksgiving.
Though LaBrecque was there for just a few days, he had an opportunity to explore the area on his short trip, noting how green New Zealand was. “It’s probably just because it’s winter here and spring there… it was vibrant and peaceful at the same time. It really felt like a great place to visit or live,” he said.
He dove into Dunedin, the conference location, taking in museums, botanical gardens and the symphony orchestra. The BC senior fencer also toured the only castle in New Zealand, took a cruise around the harbor, experiencing native marine life, and went to a penguin conservation reserve.
Though his trip was brief, LaBrecque says he can’t wait to go back and is grateful for the opportunity to travel to such an amazing place and present his research.
