Azuka Nzegwu, who spent the summer of 2000 in Nigeria researching women’s experiences in the Biafran war, is concluding her undergraduate career with yet another accolade: USA Today has given her an honorable mention in its All-USA College Academic Team. A senior Africana Studies major, Nzegwu was named in the February 15^th issue of USA Today. She was among 828 students nominated by their colleges and universities for the newspaper's academic teams.

Students were chosen based on their grades, awards and activities, leadership and ability to use their academic skills outside the classroom.

The competition was designed to find students who excel not only in scholarship but also in leadership roles on and off campus. A key element given most weight by the judges was the student’s outstanding original academic or intellectual product. The judges most strongly considered essays written by the students, describing an outstanding endeavor in his or her own work.

Speaking with Azuka Nzegwu is an instant mood booster. Her eyes are bright and her smile is contagious. Her list of achievements, honors, and scholarships are too numerous to mention in detail. She describes them on the Admissions Office’s "Ask A Student" site: http://www.binghamton.edu/home/admissions/student/azuka.html.

Azuka Nzegwu started her academic career at Binghamton University’s Harpur College of Arts and Sciences in 1997. "At that time, I did a lot of art, writing, and poetry," she explained. In the Fall of 1998, one of her poems was published in the anthology, A Prism of Thoughts.

Last summer, she started her honors thesis by conducting field research in Nigeria, focusing on women who were part of the Biafran war, a civil war that took place between 1967 and 1970. The war devastated the community. Much was already written from the male perspective. Azuka sought to find women’s personal stories of life during the war. "Things you wouldn’t normally read in a history book," she described.

The project was not typical empirical research. She plans to launch her findings on an interactive website. Streaming video and audio will feature dialogue with Nigerian women. "You’re not just reading the history, but you are hearing it also." Azuka will also transcribe the audio, both in English and Igbo, one of the main languages in Nigeria. The site will include several photos of Nigerian women and the country’s landscape. "It will be a one stop for resources on women in Biafra. My goal is to keep updating the information and get people to talk about their experiences." Azuka feels learning and dialogue will bring about healing.

Her future includes graduate school and a career in multimedia design. "I’ve enjoyed my experience at Binghamton University. I think I’ve been able to do a lot of things. I’ve grown academically, socially, and culturally." Azuka appreciates the resources available and encourages prospective students to check us out.

"I can look back and say I had a great time. I’m happy with all I’ve done and all I will continue to do after I leave here."

On Friday, February 16, 2001, acclaimed author Jeanette Lander spoke to a diverse audience about Jewish Life in Germany after the Holocaust. She was sponsored by Harpur College’s departments of Comparative Literature, German, Russian and East Asian Languages, Judaic Studies, History, and Women’s Studies. Lander is currently on a lecturing tour throughout the USA. Until recently, she was "Writer in Residence" at the University of Georgia.

A self-described "German author of Jewish-American Polish origins," Lander was born in New York and raised in Atlanta. She holds a Ph.D. in English Literature.

"I am a Jew living in Germany after the Holocaust," she began. What followed was the story of her life abroad, a fascinating tale told in her strong voice.

Lander portrayed a postwar Germany where Jews who survived wanted out. "In 1945, there was no Israel," she explained, "Jewish life in Germany, during those years, was in limbo." Jews fled Eastern Europe via Zionist underground organizations for the American-occupied West Germany. Some, who embraced Communism, went to the Soviet-occupied zone, which later became East Germany. "Jews in Germany received aid from Jewish organizations," explained Lander. The police eventually cracked down on a flourishing black market, at which Jews traded their newly acquired goods.

In the 1950’s, Jews were starting to form a community. Lander explained they felt a mission in Germany: to tell the public "we are here!" During this time, she came to Germany and saw the potential life for Jews. To portray American life to a German audience, she began a writing career that would eventually span nearly half a century.

Lander’s books include Ezra Pound. Berlin: Colloquium, 1968, Ein Sommer in der Woche der Itka K. ("A Summer in the Week of Itka K, 1971, Ich allein. ("I alone"), 1980/88, Jahrhundert der Herren ("Century of Gentlemen"), 1993, and Robert, 1998. She writes about life in America, exploring Jewish identity in her earlier novels. Her later work explores problems of geographical, linguistic, and cultural displacement. They present female protagonists contemplating their identities. Jeanette Lander’s books have helped bridge a gap across nations, cultures, religions, and time.

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