Understanding Exile: Essential Youth Connections with the LIGHT Education Initiative

Writer-in-Residence Rania Mamoun and City of Asylum Residency Manager Catherine Skolnicki join Roman Benty and Doug Khorey of the LIGHT Education Initiative, as well as Mt. Lebanon High School teacher and Global Studies Program Director, Julianne Slogick and Don Alexander, Carlynton School District educator and ambassador for the LIGHT Education Initiative, in a crucial discussion on how to inspire, prepare, and empower the next generation of humanitarians. The Leadership through Innovation in Genocide and Human rights Teaching (LIGHT) Education Initiative works with schools to help young people understand the importance of freedom of expression and the role exile plays in the lives of writers and artists who bravely speak truth to power.

About the Speakers:

Don Alexander is a dedicated educator with 26 years of teaching experience, including 25 years with the Carlynton School District. Passionate about supporting students and families, he co-founded FreeStore 15106 with his colleague, Mary Campbell, and Gisele Fetterman, to combat food insecurity. Don has also partnered with Allegheny Health Network and Dr. Tricia Serdy to introduce the AHN Chill Project, bringing vital mental health resources to Carnegie Elementary School and eventually the entire district. Additionally, he collaborates with Literacy Pittsburgh to provide English classes for students’ families. Currently serving as a Social and Emotional Learning teacher for grades K-6, Don is also an ambassador for the LIGHT Education Initiative, providing educational experiences that he hopes will inspire, prepare, and empower the next generation of humanitarians and changemakers.

Roman Benty (he/him) is an educator, writer, musician, and community organizer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From 2017–2020, Roman created and developed the Youth & Education Program Director position at the Millvale Community Library. Roman received the 2020 Pennsylvania Council for the Social Studies “Rendell Friend of Social Studies Award” for his work centering youth in Millvale, PA. In 2021, Roman became a founding team member of the LIGHT Education Initiative. As LIGHT’s Community Partnership Coordinator, Roman’s work focuses on co-designing sustainable systems to connect K-12 public schools with community education opportunities centered on peacebuilding, human rights, and advocacy.

Doug Khorey (he/him) is the School Partnership Coordinator for the LIGHT Education Initiative. A founding team member at LIGHT, Doug brings over 25 years of community-oriented education experience and specializes in relationship building, mentorship, and program design. At Shaler Area High School, he taught social studies and sponsored clubs and events, including a student-organized world record attempt (resulting in the second-largest Duck, Duck, Goose game ever). Beyond the classroom, Doug’s experiences include co-creating lifelong learning programs at the Neighborhood Resilience Project in Pittsburgh’s Middle Hill neighborhood and serving as a Library Assistant in the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Teenspaces. Before entering the field of education, Doug was the lead singer of Vibro Kings, a rock band that enjoyed regional success. Music continues to play a special role in his life today. 

Rania Mamoun is a Sudanese activist and bestselling writer of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. She completed Something Evergreen Called Life, a poetry manuscript written during the COVID-19 quarantine, translated into English by Yasmine Seale, and published by Action Books in 2023. Rania has published two novels to great international acclaim, Green Flash and Son of the Sun, and Thirteen Months of Sunrise, a short story collection that was shortlisted for the 2020 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation. Rania continues to organize for democracy in Sudan. Her writing has appeared in English, Korean, French, and Spanish translations. She has been a Writer-in-Residence at City of Asylum since 2019.

Catherine Skolnicki is the Residency Manager at City of Asylum Pittsburgh. Catherine works to ensure that each Writer-in-Residence is supported holistically with professional development, legal and language access assistance, creativity, networking, social and community integration, and self-advocacy. Catherine’s approach is informed by her professional experiences and education in the fields of immigration advocacy, refugee resettlement, education, holistic health, and visual storytelling.

Julianne Slogick is a social studies teacher at Mt. Lebanon High School. In addition to teaching World Cultures, Comparative Religions, and Introduction to Global Studies, Julianne also serves as the social studies department chair and Global Studies Program Director. As such, Julianne partners with programs in the school, community, and region to further students’ global citizenship skills. Julianne earned a master’s degree in Education from Duquesne University and a bachelor’s degree in policy studies from Dickinson College.