(Posted April 26, 2024)

Zia Haque, director of the Baker Institute and assistant professor of peace and conflict studies, left, and Kaitlyn Granger '21, Baker Institute for Peace program coordinator, right, announced that from the left, Ashley Meza '27, Jack Polglaze '27, and Sage Winters '26, will attend Hiroshima and Peace, an intensive summer program hosted by Hiroshima City University in Japan.  

 

Photo by Maggie Eckroat '26

Zia Haque, director of the Baker Institute and assistant professor of peace and conflict studies, left, and Kaitlyn Granger '21, Baker Institute for Peace program coordinator, right, announced that from the left, Ashley Meza '27, Jack Polglaze '27, and Sage Winters '26, will attend Hiroshima and Peace, an intensive summer program hosted by Hiroshima City University in Japan.  

 

Photo by Maggie Eckroat '26

HUNTINGDON, Pa.—Three first-year students, with faculty and staff from The Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies at Juniata College, will attend Hiroshima and Peace, an intensive summer program hosted by Hiroshima City University in Japan.  

Ashley Meza of Phillipsburg, NJ, Jack Polglaze of Frederick, Md., and Sage Winters of Harrisburg, Pa., will be the first cohort of Juniata students to attend the two-week program, from July 29 through August 12. The event marks the 79th anniversary of the detonation of an atomic bomb by the United States over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.  

“The Hiroshima and Peace program provides an incredible opportunity for our students to immerse themselves in the profound exploration of the historical impact and human tragedies of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, learn from the survivors, and bring back that experience to Juniata,” said Zia Haque, director of the Baker Institute and assistant professor of peace and conflict studies. “This activity fits very well with our Institute’s mission and our commitment to global peace. I congratulate all of them and believe they will gain valuable insights that will shape their academic and personal growth.” 

The program brings undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds together to study and discuss issues relating to world peace. Hiroshima City University was founded in 1994 and is distinctive for its peace studies program, which aligns with Hiroshima’s status as an international city of peace.  

“I remember learning about Hiroshima in middle school. Having the opportunity to learn more about the history and to see it in person was something I couldn’t let pass by,” Meza said. “I’m interested in meeting the students from Japan and around the world.” 

All three students learned about the summer program through their Introduction to Conflict Resolution class and applied for funding through the Baker Institute Student Peace Fund. Meza is studying international studies and peace and conflict studies on the pre-law track; Polglaze is studying peace and conflict studies; and Winters is studying politics on the pre-law track, with secondary emphases in accounting and Spanish. 

“I was interested in this program because it aligns perfectly with my POE (program of emphasis), as well as my interests in different cultures and practices,” said Polglaze. “Studying abroad is important to me because I believe that living in the culture you are learning about ultimately gives the student a better understanding of the content they learn in the classroom.” 

The aim of Hiroshima and Peace is to provide participants with a general understanding of the nature and attributes of war and peace by illuminating various aspects of wartime experiences, including the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. 

“We will be studying the events of Hiroshima and the overall effects on the country and the direct effects on the town,” Winters said. “We’ll be hearing from a survivor as well as the mayor of Hiroshima. We’ll also be visiting Osaka and Kyoto to learn more about Japan’s history.” 

The program will feature visits to the Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Museum on the anniversary.  

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.