Student view: Exploring India with MDLP

April 9, 2024 - Sydney Bayoneto

Sydney Bayoneto is a third-year student majoring in international relations and comparative cultures and politics, with minors in French and European Studies. She is from Brighton, Michigan and attended Brighton High School. She has been involved in Madison through her position as a JMC Student Ambassador, where she works with the Office of Justice, Equity, and Inclusion on recruitment events. In addition, she currently works as a legislative intern at the Michigan House of Representatives.

Sydney Bayoneto sits in front of the Taj Mahal.

At the start of this semester if you would have asked me what I thought a leader was, I would have given you a very basic, conventional definition. I probably would have said that they are a person who was elected to represent a group of people. However, over the course of this semester my definition has changed, and I have learned that diverse leadership does not have a fixed model. 

The Madison Diversity Leadership Program (MDLP) has truly opened my eyes to the value of unconventional leadership, while teaching me useful skills I will be able to carry with me in my future career. Throughout this semester we have studied different theories of leadership, while comparing them to the styles of different leaders we look up to. In addition, we also went on a two-week study abroad to Delhi, India which was one of the most memorable moments I have had in college so far.

During our time in India, the program partnered with Participatory Research Institute Asia (PRIA), where we took classes about participatory research and engaged in field visits with local communities. It was so inspiring for me to be able to meet with leaders who represented marginalized groups in India, and I am thankful that MDLP allows students to have this experience.

Sydney (middle) with members of her cohort at Qutub Minar in Delhi.

One of the most memorable visits for me was with female domestic workers who were facing sexual harassment through their work. However, through mobilization of their community and one of the most inspiring female leaders I’ve ever met, these women were able to create change. It is stories such as theirs that have made me realize how important it is to have leaders who understand the lived experiences of their community they represent.

We were able to interact with many different groups such as this, from women in Jodhpur who create their own agricultural products to a non-profit in Delhi where we were able to play Ultimate Frisbee with kids in the GK Community, a community based in Delhi. I think what makes MDLP so unique is that students like myself are immersed in communities that we’d never have an opportunity to engage with on our own.

Along with the work we did with PRIA, we also explored India and were able to go shopping, see monuments such as the Taj Mahal, and try food from around the country. My favorite part of the trip was being able to see my first Wonder of the World. We had a tour where we learned the history of the Taj Mahal and went inside. Before we left, a group of us were just sitting on a bench looking at the Taj Mahal taking it all in, and it became one of my favorite memories of the trip. 

Professor Das Gupta with Sydney at the Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

My favorite moments of college so far have been while I was abroad. There is something so unique about getting to see your major in action outside of a classroom. This trip has inspired me in countless ways, and I am excited to apply what I have learned to the rest of my time in JMC and in my future career.

All photos courtesy of S. Bayoneto.