| Z. Melinda Witter, SIS
Mustafa Barzani Peace Fellowship
Student follows heart to SIS
BY ADRIENNE FRANK
Z. Melinda Witter is the recipient of the Mustafa Barzani Peace Fellowship.
The Mustafa Barzani Peace Fellowship was established in 2000 by His Excellency Nechirvan Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government. It provides financial assistance to graduate students with a demonstrated commitment to global Kurdish studies. |
Z. Melinda Witter is not your typical college student.
The mother of two teenagers, Witter had a successful career in advertising and adult education that she gave up in 2004 to pursue a master’s degree in international peace and conflict resolution at the School of International Service. An intensely spiritual person, the Bethesda resident always had a nagging desire “to do something more and to be of service to God and other people,” and when loss struck her family, she knew it was time for a change.
“Before my father died, he told me to do what was in my heart,” says Witter, who’s in her mid-40s. “And that’s what I did, I went back to school.”
Witter, who earned a bachelor’s degree in religion and philosophy from Centenary College in her native New Jersey, focused on Islamic approaches to dialogue and peace building at SIS. After graduation in May, she traveled to Kurdistan to conduct research for a booklet that will explore various Islamic dialogues.
“I’ll be taking a grassroots approach to my research, talking to people in mosques and just asking lots of questions,” says Witter, who will return to the United States in September. She hopes the booklet, which will be completed in December, will better enable people to communicate, despite religious and cultural differences.
“I think it will be a tool that helps people come together and work together.”
Witter says her desire “to improve the world in some way, even in a small way,” is common among SIS students.
“I’We share a wonderful bond at SIS. We’re all working toward leaving a positive mark in the world.”
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