Helene Songe: Global Linguist and Diplomatic Reporter

“Since I graduated from Middlebury College in 2004, I have ended up working and studying in places as far away and different from each other [as] Venezuela, the UK, Tanzania, Egypt and, currently, Syria,” writes Helene Songe (Norway, UWC Singapore, Middlebury ’04).

After volunteering for a year at Simon Bolivar UWC in Venezuela, Helene earned an MA in development studies, specializing in East Africa, at the University of London. In Tanzania, she helped evaluate the impact of Norwegian government support for that country, then trained in administering development projects and partnerships.

“Having fallen in love with the Swahili language and culture, I decided that I wanted to get involved with Arabic,” Helene writes. She studied the language in Alexandria, Egypt, then took a summer course on scholarship at Rothberg International School in Jerusalem’s Hebrew University. Helene is now an intern in political reporting at the Norwegian Embassy in Damascus.

“I really hope I get to meet with all fellow Middlebury Davis UWC Scholars again in the near future,” Helene writes.