Faith Toran G'18, Cultural Program

Faith Toran graduated from AUP in 2018 with a MA in Global Communications, having opted for the course’s Development Communications track. In 2017, she was the recipient of a Coup de Pouce travel grant to help fund a trip to Auroville, India, to take part in the Sustainable Development Practicum, part of AUP’s Cultural Program. “When I received the Coup de Pouce I felt relieved and that I was now able to focus on the opportunity,” she says. “I felt, in a sense, that someone supported me – not just me the student but me the person – with my hopes and dreams of leaving the world a little better than I found it.”

It was something she was keen to take part in even before she arrived in Paris. “The Sustainable Development Practicum was one of the key courses that sparked my interest in attending AUP,” she continues. Over the course of the month-long trip, participants engage with local NGOs and civil-society actors to work on communications projects, putting what they learn in class into practice in a real-world context. “The practicum provided me with the opportunity to expand my knowledge and commitment to sustainable development.”

For Faith, the experience left a lasting impact on her long-term career goals. “While on the practicum, I was introduced to the organization Wasteless,” she explains. "I later worked with them for six months as I lived in Auroville – supported by AUP’s Slosberg travel grant. I have since been inspired and will soon move to Conakry, Guinea, to work on waste management there.”

This Giving Tuesday, AUP is uniting its entire community in support of our Coup de Pouce travel grant. Please support our #OneMoreJourney campaign to help students benefit from the lasting experience of an international study trip. When it comes to Coup de Pouce, a little help really does go a long way.