Last summer 2025, students and faculty from West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCU) visited GMNP for a weeklong stay as part of the ongoing research and conservation efforts related to the Gishwati Primate Project, a longitudinal collaborative research project between faculty from WCU and the Forest of Hope Association (FHA). While staying at the Shinehouse Gishwati Research Station (SGRS), students had an opportunity to learn about the various types of research occurring in the park related to the Eastern Chimpanzee (pan troglodytes schweinfurthi) and Golden Monkey (Cercopithecus mitis kandti) like observation, tracking, and habituation. WCU students also learned about the diverse tree and plant species growing in and around the park and the various research and surveys related to these forest regrowth efforts. When faculty and students were not inside the park, they supported FHA staff by working in the FHA’s tree nursery and also participating in various cultural activities.

Dr. Jordan Schugar, faculty member in the WCU English department and co-leader for the trip said, “It’s a unique experience for students as they get their hands dirty in the forest, at the nursery, and in the community. We want students to see conservation as a partnership.”

Immediately outside of Gishwati-Mukura National Park students and faculty also had a chance to learn about the various cooperatives that are being supported by FHA, such as the basketweaving at COOVAKARU (sp); the honey manufacturing at the UNICAPIGI Rutsiro Honey processing Center; traditional dancing with the Itorero Indashyikirwa Dance Group, a local and indigenous dance troupe; and, also learning to make ceramic cookware from a local potter. Additionally, while staying at the field station, students also participated in a traditional cooking demonstration led by renowned chef, Sadiki Amiable. While staying at the field station, students get three square meals prepared by Chef Sadiki – all of which are traditional, Rwandan foods including the local Lake Kivu favorite: sambaza.

Senior WCU Psychology major, Maya Diaz said, "Traveling to Rwanda impacted my daily life in unexpected ways. The connections I continue to maintain with the Rwandans I met, the shared memories with fellow West Chester students as we navigated cultural humility, and the everyday customs I brought back with me are what have impacted my daily life the most.”

In addition to visiting Gishwati students also experience the capital city of Kigali and visit at the Kigali Genocide Memorial. The trip concludes with a safari in Akagera National Park. This 12-day shared experience gives WCU students the chance to see quite a lot of Rwanda, from the high montane of Gishwati to the savannahs of Akagera. They also see and experience the vibrance of the urban city center of Kigali versus the more agrarian, rural portions around Gishwati and the Lake Kivu Belt. Students know that climate change is real but they also learn how local efforts to stop and, in some cases reverse these effects, can ripple around the globe from Gishwati to Kigali to West Chester, Pennsylvania.

WCU Psychology Biology major, Hailey Forma said, “Though divided by language, age, and background, we connected as one family, sharing hope and purpose for the future. That station felt like holy ground—where peace, growth, and love came together.”

The Gishwati Primate Project is led by WCU professors, Drs. Rebecca Chancellor and Aaron Rundus who have been working in Rwanda since 2008. In 2018, Dr. Jordan Schugar joined the project. You can reach them at rchancellor@wcupa.edu, arundus@wcupa.edu, or jschugar@wcupa.edu. You can also find them on Instagram @gishwatiresearch. This year (2025) marks the fourth time WCU faculty and students have visited the Shinehouse Gishwati Research Station, and plans are underway for another group to visit in the Summer of 2026.