Kiersti Phenow holds two young girls tight in her arms, and smiles for a picture in the middle of Lotus River, South Africa in 2013. The girls in the picture eagerly await for the photo to be taken so they have something to hold onto once Phenow leaves to return to the states. Jada Williams, Phenow’s best friend, talked about how Africa impacted her. “I know that while she was there, she kind of had the social justice fire ignited and she began some self reflection and self actualization that she continues working on even to this day,” she said. | Submitted photo

Phenow seeks the next step

A young woman finds her passion while abroad.

By Emma Boley | Mental Health Counselor

Senior year of high school. Kiersti Phenow walks out of her last class of her grade school career, glances down at her black, dirt-stained Converse and stops.

“I have no idea what I am going to do next,” she thought.

This is a story about a young girl who wanted to do anything except follow the norm. A girl who found herself in an unexpected way, which happened to be in another country.

“I was extremely depressed my senior year, and was not ready to go to college,” Phenow explained.

She was looking for something different. Something that would shake her. Something that would push her outside of her comfort zone.

Phenow was in a coffee shop on a surprisingly warm May afternoon when she ran into a woman. This woman started talking to her about Africa Jam- a non-profit organization that serves the young people of South Africa.

“Something shifted in me then.” –Kiersti Phenow, graduate student

Before she knew it, Phenow was dropped off in the middle of a small town called Lotus River and living with a family who adored her and helped her adjust to a new lifestyle.

Kiersti Phenow smiles for a picture with some of her new “family” members and other friends that she made in South Africa as they said their goodbyes. The people in this photo that she loves dearly- made up her community in Lotus River during the year that she lived there. “She’s got one of the biggest and purest hearts of anyone I’ve ever met, and she cares for and loves people well,” said Williams, Phenow’s best friend. “She makes conscious efforts in everything she does to make sure that whoever she comes in contact with feels loved and seen and able to be authentically themselves.” | Submitted photo

“Something shifted in me then,” Phenow said as she described her experience during this transformational year.

Seeing the needs of the people there inspired her to help many others back home.

“I think being taken out of her normal life in MN for a while honestly shaped the person she is today.” Jada Williams, her best friend, comments about this time in Phenow’s life. “Someone who is kind and passionate and caring and strong and all things in between.”

Phenow now, in her last year of her graduate program, is hoping to sit in ambiguity with people and work towards fulfilling her passions. She hopes to continue to build relationships, help and inspire people throughout her career.