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Luke
Juran has a passion for international travel, and it all started thanks
to the Geographic Alliance of Iowa . . .
Luke
grew up in the small town of Dyersville
,
Iowa
.
After graduating from Western
Dubuque
High
School
he pursued higher education at the nearby
University
of
Northern Iowa
.
In searching for a major he ran into Dr. Kay Weller and was sold
on the discipline of Geography. Under
Weller’s tutelage Luke attained a B.A. in “Social Science Secondary
Education” with minors in Geography, Economics, and American History.
Upon
finishing up his senior year, Weller surprised Luke with an offer to travel
and research the cultural hearth of
India
.
The GAI was awarded a Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad Grant
to research the culture, politics, economy, and geography of
India
in
2003. The objective was to
return to America
and
perform workshops and develop curriculum for area educators.
Luke was taken aback at Dr. Weller’s offer to perform field research
internationally as he had never traveled outside of the country.
“It was a big decision to make because my first international
experience was going to be intensely traveling a significant portion of a
developing nation for an extended period of time,” stated Luke.
However, ten minutes later an affirmative decision was made and
Luke was off to get a passport.
“The
trip to India
(through GAI) was truly a life altering experience.
It opened my eyes to the world and instilled in me a passion to
travel the globe and study international issues,” Luke said.
Following
his return from India
, Luke hopped right back
on a plane and headed to Rome ,
Italy
to complete
his required semester of student teaching.
Luke taught at the American Overseas School of Rome, an elite English-medium
private school. While there,
Luke took the opportunity to soak in Italian culture,explore other countries
in Europe, and chaperoned a cultural trip to
Greece
for
one week. “Taking twenty
middle schoolers to Greece
was an
excellent way to study Ancient
Greek History. We saw the
places that most only read about in textbooks.
It was experiential and exploratory learning that cannot be
attained inside the walls of a classroom,” states Luke.
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After completing
his student teaching, Luke became aware of a full-time teaching position
in Saudi
Arabia .
He was offered the job and two months later was flying back over
the Atlantic to land in Jeddah ,
Saudi
Arabia .
He taught for 2.5 years at the American International School of
Jeddah where
he taught
middle school
and high
school social studies. “I
was there in the heat of the Iraq
War and post-9/11 era. It
was scary at first, but eventually it became home and
I fell in love
with the place!” said Luke.
He capitalized on
his living in the
Middle East
by gaining insight on Islam, Middle
East
politico-economies, and women’s
rights issues.
While
teaching in Saudi Arabia Luke was able to take many trips for leisure,
research, and volunteer work. One
of his most memorable experiences was being in Thailand when the tragic
Tsunami hit. “I didn’t
know what to do, I just knew I wanted to help, so I hopped on a plane and
flew to Sri Lanka,” Luke recalls. “I
worked there for two weeks doing cleanup and doling out relief aid for
Catholic Relief Services and the Red Cross.
The sights I saw are utterly indescribable, the scenes are
tattooed in my conscious,” declares Luke
Luke
is currently at the University
of
Iowa
attaining an
M.A. in “International Economic Development.”
His focus is on the emerging field of Microfinance and the human
rights, gender empowerment, and social issues that accompany it.
Luke works closely with his advisor, Dr. Rex Honey, and is a
teaching assistant for the Department of Geography.
Luke just returned from the state of Tamil Nadu, in the
southeastern tip of India ,
where he conducted thesis research.
He is headed back for three more months this summer.
“I
have now been to around twenty countries.
I never thought I would be seeing and experiencing so many places
at such a young age . . . and it all originated from my path auspiciously
crossing with Dr. Kay Weller and GAI,” smiles Luke.
Luke
said that none of this would have been possible without the firm support
of his parents, Rick and Laurie Juran of Dyersville, Dr. Kay Weller of
UNI, and Dr. Rex Honey of U. of Iowa.
Luke encourages everybody, young and old, to open their minds to
Geography and the world.
“It
will change your life,” says Luke.
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Geographic Alliance of Iowa
