Photos and Testimonials
This summer, 80 new Fellows in the Business, Journalism, Law, Medical, Seminary, and Design & Technology programs spent two weeks in Berlin, Krakow and Oswiecim, visiting historical sites, attending intensive seminars and participating in intimate cross-disciplinary discussion groups. Questions raised in the classroom and reflections spurred on by site visits were discussed and debated over lunch and dinner. Business, Law, and Design & Technology Fellows traveled together from Saturday, May 27 through Friday, June 8. Medical, Seminary, and Journalism Fellows traveled together from Saturday, June 25 through Friday, July 8. Below you can see photos from each trip and read testimonials from recent Fellows.
Recent Testimonials
“FASPE gives you the space to confront the ethical questions that go unaddressed in most law schools. Exploring those questions with FASPE law fellows wakes you up to the full power of the law and its latent potential to not only perpetuate injustice but legitimize it. In turn, I'm confident that every fellow in my cohort became a more thoughtful and deliberate lawyer.”
— Kevin Frazier, 2023 Law Fellow
“Participating in this fellowship was probably one of the most important things I could have done at this stage in my career. The experience forced us as fellows to do the necessary but painful and gut-wrenching task of looking for ourselves and our communities not only among the victims but among the perpetrators of societal inequities.”
— Kristin Sharman, 2022 Law Fellow
“I had been seeking spaces designed for discussing difficult personal, professional, and ethical questions, and at FASPE, I found that. Looking back, traveling alongside Law and Business Fellow made the experience far richer and more insightful than I could have anticipated. The conversations I had with fellows, inside and outside of facilitated discussions, were true and perspective-shaping gifts. I hope these connections hold long into the future.red to change my profession and the world, and fully committed to serving others and creating a more just society.”
—Sarah Vernovsky, 2023 Design & Technology Fellow
“The FASPE program was a life-changing, immersive experience. It leveraged this immersion as a starting point to facilitate incredibly challenging conversations about professional ethics, and how we as leaders conduct day-to-day business and make decisions in an increasingly uncertain world. I was able to broaden my horizon of thinking amongst a talented community of interdisciplinary leaders; this will become part of the network of minds I know I will engage throughout my career.”
—Mohammed Omar, 2023 Business Fellow
“FASPE was an incredible and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to think critically and discuss complex issues in the same historical locations where so much wrong took place. Surrounded by brilliant faculty and peers, I have never felt so vulnerable and simultaneously comfortable enough to analyze my own weakness, both personally and professionally. I left the two weeks feeling inspired to change my profession and the world, and fully committed to serving others and creating a more just society.”
—Derek Soled, 2022 Business Fellow
“FASPE was at once a most universal and most personal experience. Universal for how it reminded each of us, despite our vastly different backgrounds, to fundamental truths about what it means to be human. But also deeply personal, for how it revealed both the biases and convictions each of us hold by virtue of our varied experiences. I’m almost certain that the tensions FASPE has forced me to wrestle with will stay for a long time – thankfully though, alongside a lifelong community of people driven by the same challenge.”
—Claudia Kwan, 2022 Business Fellow
“FASPE highlighted for me the systemic nature of Holocaust and the pervasive involvement of professionals at every level. This complicity of professionals who shirked their responsibilities and failed to act ethically is particularly germane to my work in technology. As I continue in my career, FASPE will serve as an indelible addition to how I approach questions of ethics within technology and society.”
— Ian René Solano-Kamaiko, 2022 Design & Technology Fellow
“Participating in FASPE allowed me to take the time to examine deeper ethical questions about my profession and connect with other journalists asking those same questions. It helped me to frame my thinking about the industry around the ways journalists have historically incorporated ethics into their work (or not) and build a community of people to discuss and grapple with these ideas and revelations. It also reaffirmed my belief in the importance of our profession and the ways that this work can be done well.”
— Diana Kruzman, 2022 Journalism Fellow
Images from the 2023 Business, Journalism, Law and Design & Technology Programs
“It's easy to believe you're the good guy. FAPSE forces you to think about what that really means. My two weeks here helped me think about why I wanted to become a journalist and the good -- and harm -- that people in my job do. I recommend this fellowship to anyone thinking about the "why" of what they do.”
— Zak Vescera, 2023 Journalism Fellow
“Participating in FASPE dramatically changed my perspective on my career as a physician. Through discussions with other fellows, I gained a new awareness of my ethical responsibility to steward the trust that the public places in the medical profession to seek the good of our patients. The visits to sites of Nazi medical crimes gave me a new understanding of the immense harm that the medical profession can cause when we fail to uphold our professional responsibility.”
— Kevin Lazenby, 2023 Medical Fellow
“The FASPE program is thus far the highlight of my ethical training. Learning in this way, with a highly-motivated group of interdisciplinary professionals is so important, unique, and effective. Getting a 2-year masters in medical ethics feels less valuable than FASPE's 2-week program.”
— Claire Rosen, 2022 Medical Fellow
“I expected the Fellowship to be valuable, and for the site visits especially in Poland to be moving, but I cannot overstate how impactful the program was for me. The curriculum was so much more robust than I expected, the discussions between past and present drew linear connections, and the people were absolutely fantastic. Best professional development and personal growth experience of my career thus far.”
— David Loftus, 2022 Medical Fellow
“What makes FASPE special is the diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and professional interests that its fellows bring to the table to engage in challenging dialogue about ethical leadership for a better society. I am grateful to FASPE for its commitment to fostering this dialogue within and across disciplines - especially in our often-polarized world. The engaging tours, site visits, and seminars fostered countless conversations over meals, on bus rides, and on walks through Berlin and Krakow that I will carry with me throughout my career.”
— Katie Mascari, 2023 Seminary Fellow
“The concept, program, cohort, environment, education, discussion and experiences were life changing. It has challenged me to think about professional and personal ethics as well as history and its link to contemporary events differently. I will forever cherish my FASPE experience!”
— Johnny Efoko, 2022 Seminary Fellow
“I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to participate in this program. As the program concludes, I find myself leaving with more questions and I am excited to continue to explore those questions with my peers in ministry. Also, it is so rare for seminary folks to be in conversation with doctors and journalists, and I found the conversations with my interdisciplinary peers incredibly enlightening. Their perspectives, and their challenges, will help me be a better faith leader in my local community.”
— Michael Schulte, 2022 Seminary Fellow
Images from the 2023 Journalism, Medical and Seminary Programs
