Wheaton senior Kyla Hobbie-Welch is spending her winter break teaching orphaned children in Esperanza, Dominican Republic, funded by the Davis International Fellowship program.

January 7, 2003

Wheaton senior Kyla Hobbie-Welch is spending her winter break teaching orphaned children in Esperanza, Dominican Republic, funded by Wheaton's Davis International Fellowship award. The award provides funds to Wheaton students for international research during winter and summer breaks.

Hobbie-Welch spent the last four summers as a counselor at a day camp for special needs students and plans to use this experience to aid her in working with the children of the Good Samaritan Orphanage in Esperanza, many of whom have learning capabilities and skill development. Her primary role at the orphanage will be to instruct mathematics and create age-appropriate activities for the children.
Hobbie-Welch is working through a non-profit organization called Orphanage Outreach, whose main focus is to further students' math, reading, and community skills. Hobbie-Welch believes that ''these children have a lot to offer the world but they need extra attention because something is impeding their natural desire to learn and interact.''

Wheaton is a selective liberal arts college located in Norton, Mass., with a 1500-member student body drawn from 45 states and 35 countries. It is a member of the Twelve College Exchange, which also includes Amherst, Bowdoin, Connecticut, Dartmouth, Mount Holyoke, Smith, Trinity, Vassar, Wellesley, Wesleyan, and Williams.