The Haitian devastation cuts close to home for students in UVA’s Batten School of Leadership with the news that Stephanie Jean-Charles, master’s candidate and 2009 UVA grad, died of a head injury in her home in Port-au-Prince. UVA has released a statement on Jean-Charles this evening, with Dean Harry Harding praising Jean-Charles’ aspirations and leadership.
In an e-mail to faculty, staff and students, Harding said "that Jean-Charles took up the challenges of adapting to an English-speaking culture and academic environment with ‘enormous energy and commitment,’" according to the release.
"Her main aspiration was to take the knowledge and skills she learned at the Batten School to try to improve the educational system in Haiti and to keep children in school," he wrote.
Estimates now put the death toll from Tuesday’s earthquake, which measured 7.0 at 50,000, with no signs that the devastation and trauma are over.
