HPER Students Travel to Bali

HPER Students Travel to Bali

 

HU HPER students work with a group of orphanage children in Bali.

Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) Department Chair, Dr. Chevelle Hall, took 10 students to Bali, Indonesia to conduct research and volunteer with the Bali Sports Foundation. For two weeks, Hall and her students conducted research pertaining to helping individuals with physical challenges, and presented research proposals at Udayana University, one of the largest universities in Bali.

As volunteers, HU students worked with adults with physical challenges who liked to participate in physical activity and sports, and at a Christian orphanage where they facilitated games that focused on increasing children’s physical activity.  The students, who were either kinesiology or sport management majors, played games with the children that focused on increasing their physical activity. 

“The purpose of the trip was to expose students to other cultures and allow them to take part in service learning abroad,” said Hall, who organized the trip with HPER Assistant Professor Kimberly Blackwell. Students Ashley Gardner (student coordinator), Zion Gonzalez, Fianna Ford, Quenice Simms, Kai Brown, Marquise Johnson, Shania Anglade, Maya Bouyer, Marche Graham and Gillian Gray took the trip.

“The trip was an eye opener in so many ways academically and societally,” said Simms, a junior kinesiology major. “Being able to help people with physical challenges to be mobile and exercise, as well as working with children in an orphanage, was extremely rewarding.”

HU student Quenice Simms stands with Niska from Bali.

Simms said she is especially looking forward to a visit to America from one of the children, Niska, with whom she bonded.

“She made me a special bracelet that I wear every day,” Simms said.

HPER officials said the overall trip was a success and exposed their department and the University to international education and curriculum. Hall said that Udayana University is interested in partnering with HU for future student exchanges.

“The students, and those we served benefited from this trip,” Blackwell said. “We anticipate similar trips in the future where we can learn, give, help and bring our findings and research back to HU to further what we do as health professionals.”


-Leha Byrd