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School of Early Childhood Studies (ECS) graduate Louisa Cowling wasted no time going from the classroom in Toronto to the real world in Cambodia.

Cowling spent her summer interning for the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation (MJP), an organization founded by Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie. It’s dedicated to eradicating extreme rural poverty, protecting natural resources and conserving wildlife. Cowling had done her third-year placement in Cambodia and was eager to return when the MJP internship opportunity came up. She worked part of the time in an office in the city of Battamburg but mostly worked in the Samlout village with two members of the MJP team, planning and implementing activities and events with teachers from five local schools and at the Early Childhood Centre for Development (ECCD).

“We all learned from the information we shared with each other and had the opportunity to develop resources at the end of the meetings to recreate each other’s successful activities. In relation to the ECCD, I held an information session for parents and family members of the children to explain brain development and the importance of early childhood education,” Cowling said. “We talked about holistic learning approaches and the importance of developing skills in all domains, and discussed practical and relatable examples for activities, with a focus on activities with no materials or natural materials so that all families can recreate them regardless of socio-economic status. I also led a workshop for early childhood educators to discuss classroom management techniques, methods for inclusion, differentiated learning and resource development.”

While Cowling’s internship didn’t put her in direct contact with children, the experience gave her a different perspective on how her degree could be useful in the real world.

“I have a better understanding of how NGOs operate, the role they play in community development, and how all the different components of MJP work together,” she said. “I learned how to work in education in a different way. Most of my experience is from working directly with children, but this opportunity allowed me to work around theories, concepts and their practical implementation in school settings. I was able to use my knowledge and experience as an ECS graduate and put it into practice, but also learned a lot from my surroundings and have a better concept of teaching and working in international classrooms.”

Six days after returning to Canada, Cowling started her bachelor of education at Queen’s University in Kingston. She’s interested in international development work and hopes to return to Cambodia for a third time in May 2014. Cowling also has experience volunteering with children in Tanzania, Jamaica and China.

“This trip has helped me grow professionally. I can see how to be resourceful and teach without all the resources that we have in Canada.  Also, after this trip and the other international experiences I’ve had, I have learned to be flexible and it’s a great characteristic for early childhood educators and teachers to have. I feel like I can make the best of every situation, which is helpful in my personal and professional life. Overall, I think this trip has made me a more confident, comfortable and flexible person,” Cowling said. “International placement at Ryerson helped me prepare for going abroad. I learned a broad range of important information that really helped prepare me for working with this NGO as part of the education team. The course work at Ryerson helped give me the knowledge in early childhood theories and practices to share with MJP.  Ryerson’s ECS program helped prepare me by providing me with a quality education that has made me a knowledgeable early childhood educator with a variety of experience.”