Lyndsay Bisaccio ’09 wasn’t prepared to learn how similar the people of the Masaai African tribe were to herself. A double African studies and government major, the senior from Bennington, VT, spent three weeks in Kenya during the summer of 2008, and found herself pleasantly surprised. “The movies I watched in my classes were about really depressing situations,” she says, “but they like to hang out with their friends just like me. They were teaching us how to shoot a bow and arrow, and making fun of each other when they missed. I wasn’t expecting that.”

Lyndsay’s favorite parts of her trip were the home-stays she had with African families; she also enjoyed “game drives” in the early morning, during which she and her fellow students tried their best to spot wild animals in the distance. The Mt. Anthony Union High School graduate acquired her interest in African studies, as often happens in a liberal arts institution, through “a fortunate accident: I randomly took an African studies course for a distribution credit and loved it.  Ever since, I’ve been taking every class in the program that I can.”

  Lyndsay, president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and a member of the indoor and outdoor track and cross country teams, relishes the opportunity to leave her comfort zone, but also admits to enjoying her return to a place that feels a bit more like home – exactly what she has found at St. Lawrence. “I love that when I’m walking to class there are people I can say hi to who are friendly and interested in what’s going on in my life,” she says.