On March 24, the Smith College Club of Greenwich-Stamford recently held an event in the Historic Barn of the Greenwich Historical Society featuring a panel discussion about the PBS-featured documentary, “Where I Became.”
The award-winning film tells the story of 14 young South African women of color who received full scholarships to attend Smith College during the apartheid years, and how this opportunity completely changed the trajectory of their otherwise circumscribed lives.
Through interviews and an historical retrospective, the audience learned how higher education allowed the women to become the leaders and scholars they are today.
Leading the discussion was Greenwich resident and Smith College alumna, Jane Dawson Shang, who co-produced the film with Tandiwe Njobe, a native South African who received one of the scholarships and graduated from Smith College in 1994. Njobe joined the discussion on a large screen via Zoom as did four other beneficiaries of the program. The panelists related their personal experiences of growing up under the apartheid system and the emotional journey to a college in a far-away land where their intellect was respected and nurtured. They all exhibited a profound gratitude for the Smith scholarship and the education it enabled.
Also present at the event was Kate Geis, the film’s director and an Emmy-award-winning documentary producer and director and associate producer, Council Brandon. Smith College Professor Emeritus, Peter A. de Villiers, who was instrumental in the creation of the South African scholarship program, which operated from 1986 to 1994, also joined the panel via Zoom.
For further information on Where I Became or to learn about private screening opportunities, please visit the film’s website, whereibecame.com or email: [email protected]
For further information about the Smith College Club of Greenwich-Stamford, please contact President Nancy Fogwell at [email protected]