For Ohio State third-year student Sloane Warner, studying abroad in Rwanda was more than an opportunity to experience a new country. It was an experience that challenged her academically, personally and professionally and changed the way she views the world.
A political science and criminology major with a minor in history, Warner is on the pre-law track and is a Morrill Scholar. Her academic interests led her to the three-week Genocide and Its Aftermath in Rwanda study abroad program this summer.
Warner had long been interested in understanding how people can come to participate in genocide. She felt that fully exploring those questions required more than studying them in a classroom.
“I did not believe it was fully possible to answer these questions without visiting a nation that has endured such atrocities or speaking to people that survived them,” Warner said.
Throughout the program, Warner visited memorials, killing sites, museums, nongovernmental organizations and other historical and commemorative sites. She also had the opportunity to speak with survivors, rescuers and perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide, gaining firsthand perspectives on an event she had previously studied academically.
“It was life-altering to hear firsthand accounts of individuals that had lived through a genocide and to visit sites where atrocities unfolded,” Warner said.
The experience was made even more meaningful by the program’s small cohort. Students were engaging with difficult and emotional subject matter together, Warner said the group developed deep connections throughout the three weeks. The program directors also played an important role in shaping her experience and expanding her understanding of genocide studies and atrocity prevention.
While the program provided opportunities to explore Rwanda beyond the course material, including a safari, Warner still had to navigate the emotional weight of what she was learning. One of her biggest challenges was learning to be vulnerable with her peers and program directors about the impact of the subject matter.
The experience taught Warner how to approach difficult topics with sensitivity, humility and cultural awareness. It also reinforced the importance of studying genocide to better recognize the warning signs that can lead to future atrocities.
That lesson has continued to influence Warner beyond her time abroad. Following the program, she was fortunate enough to support program director Hollie Nyseth Nzitatira with research on atrocity prevention. Warner is also considering adding a certificate in Holocaust and Genocide Studies to her degree.
The experience has also helped shape her plans after Ohio State. Warner intends to attend law school and is considering humanitarian law as a potential career path.
What began as a desire to better understand one of history’s most difficult questions ultimately became an experience that reshaped Warner’s academic and professional goals. For her, studying abroad in Rwanda provided an opportunity to learn not only from history, but from the people who experienced it firsthand.
“The experience I had on this program was truly unreplicable and has changed my outlook on life,” Warner said.
The deadline to apply for the summer 2027 Genocide and Its Aftermath in Rwanda is January 7, 2027.
