The 2016 Class of Rotary Peace Fellows at Uppsala from left Ahmad Mohibbi (USA), Kate Lonergan (USA), Sireh Jabang (Gambia), Nicole Ella (Australia), Clair Maizonnier (Australia/France), Meena Pillai (Australia), Krystal Renschler (Canada). Not pictured Takuya Koimaru (Japan), Ahmed Abdi Wais (Somalia).

By Magnus Elfwendahl, host area coordinator at the Rotary Peace Center in Uppsala and a member of the Rotary Club of Uppsala Carolina, Sweden

I was honored earlier this month to witness the beginning of nine careers in peace building and conflict resolution as the most recent class at the Rotary Peace Center at Uppsala University received their masters degrees.

The memorable event concludes two years of training, study, and practice for these dedicated and bright young professionals. The Rotary Peace Fellows joined 30 other students at a graduation ceremony in the town’s medieval cathedral attended by friends, relatives, host families, and members of the local Rotary clubs. Thanks to the generous support of The Rotary Foundation, Rotary members, and clubs, they are now equipped to solve problems and make a positive impact on world peace.

Peace Fellow Kate Lonergan from the United States was honored with the department’s Mats Hammarström Prize for Outstanding Essay in Peace & Conflict Studies. Peace Fellow and student representative Krystal Renschler of Canada summarized what her fellow graduates were feeling in her closing remarks:

“Uppsala has prepared us to meet the headwinds of today’s winds of madness.”

Peter Wallensteen, a Rotary member, senior professor at Uppsala, and also senior research professor of Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, emphasized how the skills the graduates have acquired will be instrumental in their pursuit of peace.

I feel proud to be part of an organization contributing to global peace.

• Visit the Rotary Peace Center at Uppsala’s Facebook page
• Learn more about Rotary Peace Fellowships