PEACE AROUND THE WORLD
"In the Spotlight" features Peace graduates who are making their mark on the world.
If you have an idea for this feature, contact Erin Foley '03, Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator, at
foleye@queenofpeacehs.org or (708) 458-7600, Ext. 252.
Jeannie Balanda '83 - Making Connections and Interweaving Lives
March 2010
While a junior at Queen of Peace, Jeannie Balanda remembers wondering what she was going to study in college. Possible majors oated through her head but nothing really stood out – nothing as important as her intended post-college plans.
"I knew I was going to work on behalf of social justice. I knew the - first thing I was going to do was get a broader perspective and I was going to do that through the Peace Corps,” Balanda ‘83 said. "I needed to really see how the rest of the world lived.”
After studying abroad for a year in Costa Rica during her time at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and becoming uent in Spanish, Balanda joined the Peace Corps as a volunteer in Guatemala.
Little did she know then that her love of Guatemala and its gracious, kind people, along with a dedication to the non-profit sector, would lead to her perfect job – executive director of MayaWorks in Chicago.
Following her time in the Peace Corps, Balanda worked in domestic violence, and for 16 years, helped Latino youth prepare for college scholarships. She had already finished a master’s degree in non-profit management and was beginning an MBA when she started longing to once again work in the international sector in social ventures or social entrepreneurship.
"It was almost really kismet when this opportunity with MayaWorks came forward (18 months ago) because it was such a good match for me,” Balanda said.
MayaWorks is a affiliated with the Fair Trade Movement and is a member of the Fair Trade Federation, Aid to Artisans and the Craft Center and joins these organizations in a commitment to working with disadvantaged artisans by developing markets for their products in First World countries.
The MayaWorks artisans in Guatemala handcraft placemats, table runners, bags of all kinds, cornhusk dolls, hackysacks, kippot, backstrap loom products, pastoral stoles and beadwork jewelry. The income generated from these beautiful crafts is returned directly to the artisans.
Becoming the executive director of MayaWorks – one of the vendors participating in Peace’s third Fair Trade Bazaar on March 27-28 - meant strengthening her bond with Guatemala, continuing to advocate for the growth of women and children, and forming partnerships. "
The idea of a North American woman and a Guatemalan woman working together to enrich each other’s lives is most important, Balanda said.
"Guatemalans find the good in everything and want to make a better life for their children,” Balanda said. "They want to work very hard for what they have; it’s always about how women can reach across and give a hands up to help other women.”
As Fair Trade becomes more widespread, especially as consumers question how their dollars are being spent, Balanda is looking forward to introducing MayaWorks to the Peace Community at the Fair Trade Bazaar.
"Folks will be able to learn a little bit about our social venture but also that we have educational programs and that we’re giving scholarships to the daughters of our artisans and have microfinance programs for our artisans as well.”
Making a difference and working on behalf of social justice, Balanda said, can be accomplished often.
"Nothing is too small – start at home by making your parents’ lives better or your siblings’ lives better and then little by little, finding the opportunities in every day,” Balanda said. "It will really come to you what you should be doing. Don’t be afraid to take those steps."
Kristen Amato '93 - Redesigning Her Future with Fashion Jewelry
March 2009
From the success that 1993 Peace graduate Kristen Amato has experienced as an international jewelry designer, one would assume her background is in the studio arts.
However, her career path could not have been more different than art school or studio work.
After Kristen graduated from Queen of Peace, she earned a chemistry degree at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. She went on to design medical test kits for Abbott Laboratories and then moved into consulting with Accenture.
"At that point I was traveling a lot. It was not my idea of an ideal situation.”
Little did she know – or imagine – that her life was about to lead her to start a fashion jewelry company.
Known as K.Amato, TV stars including Eva Longoria Parker and Rachel Ray have been spotted wearing Kristen's trendy jewelry. Her work also has been featured in People, Good Housekeeping, US Weekly, OK!, Crain's Chicago Business and the Chicago Tribune.
"I think there are a lot of twists and turns in life,” Kristen said. "Looking back, this is truly what I was meant to do.”
The idea for jewelry designing evolved after she noticed that people would ask her where she bought her jewelry. As it turned out, the pieces she wore were ones she had made as a hobby.
With a desire to work creatively and own a business, Kristen began designing pieces from her home studio.
"I did everything low budget. Everything was raw and rough. I printed business cards for myself and created a website. Then, I sent out e-mails to everyone I knew,” said Kristen, the Chicago Fashion Foundation president and a member of the Queen of Peace Arts Advisory Council.
Little by little during the past six years she worked her way into Macy's and 98
boutiques across the U.S., Canada and London. She now has her own studio and boutique at 1229 W. Diversey in Chicago.
She has developed a strong internet business and a thriving bridal jewelry line.
Buyers and customers like her line because the pieces are trendy, quality and reasonably priced at under $100, she said.
The future looks as exciting as ever for Kristen. This spring Bloomingdale's will add her line to their stock, and she is planning to meet with fashion editors in New York City to showcase her work.
Did Peace make a difference in her life successes? Absolutely, she said.
"I learned so much working on WQOP,” she added. "Being in front of people doing interviews and developing that confidence prepared me for the speaking I do in front of people today.”
Kristen Amato's work can be viewed at www.k-amato.com.
Colleen Klus '03 - Out of Chicago and Into Africa
December 2008
When Colleen Klus left for Namibia in September 2007 as a Peace Corp volunteer, she knew she would be a teacher. But that was all she knew.
Once she arrived in Africa, she learned she would be living in a village of about 2,000 people and that she would be teaching sixth- and seventh-grade English.
Colleen, a 2003 graduate of Queen of Peace, also discovered she would be living in a concrete house without running water or electricity.
"I had always wanted to join,” she said of the Corps this fall when she was home for a visit. "But I didn’t know a lot about it – and my senior year in college I researched it. I decided that it was the right time in my life to join. I figured if I am going to do this, I should do it now.”
Teaching in the village has opened her eyes to the many opportunities she has had, which led to her decision to build a school.
"My big project is to build a school with a hall and a library. The hall will be for school events,” she said. "But the most exciting part is the library project – that’s my baby. I want to build a library more than anything, mostly because my kids love to read.”
Colleen is helping the villagers sell their home-made crafts and wares so they can use the profits to pay for the school and library. The cost is about $100,000 U.S.
After Colleen completes her service, the villagers will be able to continue to raise money for the project, she said.
"It’s important that they are involved so they have ownership in the school and project and so the fundraising is sustainable,” she said.
Colleen said her family is helping her with her project, too.
With the help of her parents Mary and Ed Klus of Burbank, the villager’s goods will be sold in the U.S. Colleen’s aunt Peggy Finley is collecting books for the school library.
In spite of the challenges of serving in the Peace Corps, Colleen wouldn’t trade-in her experience.
"I enjoy talking with the students and building a relationship with them,” she said. "In my seventh grade class almost everyone speaks conversational English. That’s a huge accomplishment.”
Colleen Klus can be e-mailed at colleen.klus@gmail.com.
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