Camille LeBlanc

Raised in the woods of New Jersey, Camille has always had an interest in learning about different cultures. She was a three-year leader of her high school's diversity program, where she facilitated open conversations about race, sexuality, and other identity-related topics. She also helped develop the Teach2Serve curriculum, which educates and trains high school students who want to create positive social change. She enjoys watching movies, eating good food, spending time outside, and taking Zumba classes.

Bagunçaço

Camille LeBlanc

2013-04-23

Here are some photos, new and old, that I’ve taken at Grupo Cultural Bagunçaço, a youth cultural center that uses cultural education to restore the identities and self-esteem of low-income Afro-Brazilian kids.

Cameras

Camille LeBlanc

2013-03-26

At a Stanford cafeteria table back in August, I had my first meeting with my Team Leader, Sol. I had thirty minutes to express my interests and passions and to explain exactly what I wanted out of this year. Although I probably made very little sense at the time, art was at the forefront of my mind. I wanted...

The Importance of Ankle Weights

Camille LeBlanc

2013-02-27

I have never sweat like I sweat in Bahia. The beating 6 am sun jolts me awake, the overcrowded bus leaves tears of sweat dripping down my back, but nothing competes with the gym, where I could nearly flush a toilet with the sweat of a single workout. But oh, how it is good. Last December, after months...

“Permanent Placement”

Camille LeBlanc

2012-11-13

Although I loved my high school, I always felt trapped in the confines of the classroom. I was living in a rut of text books and class discussions and research papers, and all I could think about was my desperate need to break out of that comfort, to immerse myself in a completely unfamiliar environment, and to see...

Good People, Better Pizza

Camille LeBlanc

2012-10-31

I don’t claim to know a lot about Brazil. It is rich and poor, African and European, image-conscious and free spirited. It is a place of seeming hypocrisy and contradictions. But it is this complexity–the diversity of categories and space between the extremes–that I can’t even begin to wrap my head around. And a pequena community eight hours inland...

From Neon Spandex to Hiking Boots

Camille LeBlanc

2012-09-18

Apologies for the infrequency of the blog posts! For the first time in years, I’m keeping a journal,which, unfortunately, is resulting in a reluctance to blog. But let me bring you up to speed: I arrived in Brazil two weeks ago, spent four days in Salvador, and am now in a small rural village in interior Bahia–Capao....

This I Believe

Camille LeBlanc

2012-07-10

I can be a little compulsive. On paper, I write just above the line so the words hover perfectly—never touching, never slanting; the spacing is regular, the letters consistent. When I highlight, I always keep a tissue nearby to dab the excess ink that forms in a small (large) puddle at the end of the...