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Class of 2006
Nina Burton
When Nina Burton '06 graduated as one of the College's first non-education human development majors, she jumped right into a career of humanitarian service.
"For years, I knew I wanted to work in a developing nation or in the sector of humanitarian aid relief," Nina says.
She traveled to Cape Verde, West Africa, with the Peace Corps, teaching English and promoting AIDS awareness and community development. Stateside, she served with AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps), whose disaster relief efforts sent her to New Orleans to help rebuild the city after Hurricane Katrina.
"When I came back from the Peace Corps, I still wanted to do something along the same lines. AmeriCorps NCCC conducts service and disaster relief, so I fell into the nonprofit sector," she explained.
After completing two terms with AmeriCorps, Nina remained in New Orleans, working with several organizations including Hands On New Orleans, the Louisiana Children's Museum, and the Neighborhood Partnership Network. "It's a pretty small city where you know everybody and there's a real sense of community," Nina said. "It's definitely a city you fall in love with."
Four years after Hurricane Katrina hit, New Orleans is still struggling to get back on its feet. With Hands On New Orleans, Nina helps train the volunteers who come to help the city rebuild. She also works with underprivileged youth from the area and hopes to do more teaching in the future.
"There's a big push on education because New Orleans students perform significantly below the national standard," Nina said. "We had one of the worst school districts before, and there are still children suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Now that there are physical structures in place again, we're trying to take care of the people."
Nina credits Washington College with focusing her interests on non-profit work and giving her a strong background in education, as well as teaching her how to interact with people in a tight-knit community.
"In the Peace Corps and here in New Orleans, I'm immersed in a different world. I enjoy connecting with the very different cultures," she said. "WC was definitely the vehicle for making all this happen."