1. Distinguished Donahue Scholar Dr. Lee Ann De Reus speaks in deWitt Hall
about her work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Photo by Marwan Albazie
Dr. De Reus during her talk in deWitt
2015 Distinguished Donahue Scholar Dr. Lee Ann De Reus held a talk on Tuesday,
October 6, 2015 at deWitt Hall.
In a talk titled “Daring to Make a Difference: Activism, Congo, and Finding Your Voice
for Global Change,” De Reus spoke about her experiences with rape victims in the Democratic
Republic of Congo and how the issue of conflict minerals plays a part in the tragedy. De Reus
also encouraged the attendees to become activists in global and local issues.
“The world’s consumption of electronic devices is precisely what connects us with the
conflict that’s happening in the Eastern Congo,” said De Rues. According to De Reus, learning

2. about the history of the conflict and the culture of the society is the best way to become an
activist. “The world needs you right now,” De Reus said.
Answering questions from the crowd, Congolese poet and activist Leonard Tshitenge said
“There is a lot of challenges in terms of how to communicate the issue..” According to
Tshitenge, knowing why the Congo matters is a very important factor of understanding the
conflict.
“I thought she nailed a lot of important things that were questions and issues that students
here want to know about,” said professor of Psychology Joann Montepare. According to
Montepare, De Reus was successful in the way she made the information accessible and
understandable to the students.
De Reus is an associate professor of Human Development and Family Studies AND
Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality studies at Pennsylvania State University­Altoona and the
Co­Founder of Panzi Foundation USA.