Her takeaways will be the subject of an interactive magazine the DMD student is creating for other Black women thinking of studying abroad or following in her travel footprint.
As if Yvonna Maxie had only one goal for her monthlong trip around Europe this summer, she realized this one early on in London after approaching a Black couple struggling to photograph themselves without the benefit of a third person.
They were skeptical at first, but Maxie says she assured them that, yes, she was happy to snap a pic to document their trip. Thankful, the Nigerian couple told her they were visiting Europe for the first time and enjoying every minute.
“It was good to talk to them and get their experience,” Maxie ’27 (SFA) says. “The African American and the African experience are two completely different things, and they experience very different types of racism, so it was good for me to hear that they feel safe and they’re feeling welcome as well.”
Maxie was solo on her journey in London that day and at other stops along the way including Dublin, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin, as the recipient of a scholarship from the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network at UConn who was overseas from late June until late July.
Read more on UConn Today.