SURJ: Sudreau Uganda Rwanda Justice Program
The Sudreau Uganda and Rwanda Justice (SURJ) program offers students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the beauty of East Africa while learning first-hand about the remarkable journeys of restoration and reconciliation in Uganda and Rwanda over the last two decades. In the SURJ program, students will:
- Spend a week in Rwanda, where students will meet with survivors of the Rwandan Genocide.
- Spend two weeks in Uganda, where students will partner with Pepperdine’s Sudreau Global Justice Institute, Ugandan lawyers, and Ugandan and Pepperdine law students to bring hope and justice in Ugandan prisons.
- Accompany Pepperdine University leadership to meetings with Rwandan and Ugandan government leaders.
- Visit high-impact Christian schools and nonprofits that train the next generation of Ugandan leaders.
- Experience a breathtaking safari in the Ugandan wilderness.
Through the lens of justice and restoration, these experiences provide transformative cross-cultural interactions designed to have a lifelong impact on who you are and who you are becoming. As a perfect companion to these experiences, students will have the opportunity to study “Intercultural Communication” (COM 313) with Professor Rachel Yoshimura and “Enriching the International Experience” (HUM 295) with Professor Cameron McCollum. President Jim Gash and Vice President Danny DeWalt will be joining and helping facilitate some of the on-ground engagement opportunities as well.
"A core part of Pepperdine’s mission is to be a place where 'students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership.' Come experience this unique embodiment of 'Pepperdine' on the African continent in what is sure to be a transformational expression of this mission."
- President Jim Gash -
Sudreau Global Justice Institute at Pepperdine
Program Dates
June 2, 2025 - June 29, 2025
The dates listed above are planned group arrival dates to the Malibu campus for the first part of the program. The group will depart from LAX around June 7th.
Costs
Visa Information
Health Information
Travel Risk Information
Review U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory Information for Uganda and Rwanda and pay special attention to Local Laws and Special Circumstances sections prior to application. Contact International Programs if you have questions.
Course Requirements and Offerings
Refer to the academics page for details on the minimum unit requirements and class pre-requisites for the program. Textbook lists will be provided by the program staff.
Faculty-in-Residence
Cameron McCollum
Director of the Sudreau Global Justice Institute
Adjunct Professor of Law at Pepperdine
cameron.mccollum@pepperdine.edu
Cameron McCollum joined the Pepperdine staff as the Director of the Sudreau Global Justice Institute in the Fall of 2019. In his role as SGJI’s Director, McCollum has overseen the expansion of SGJI’s Access to Justice portfolio from its origination in Uganda to include projects with Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, and more. In addition, McCollum has served as an adjunct professor of law at Pepperdine for four years, teaching classes related to human trafficking, human rights, and contracts. Prior to returning to Pepperdine to become the SGJI Director, Cameron practiced law in Dallas, Texas as an associate at Kirkland & Ellis. He received his BBA in Business from Baylor University and his J.D. from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, magna cum laude.
Rachel Yoshimura
Visiting Assistant Professor of Communication
Communication, Seaver College
rachel.yoshimura@pepperdine.edu
Professor Rachel Yoshimura specializes in the academic and professional fields of Rhetoric and Christian Ministry. She is a double alumna of Pepperdine University, receiving her BA in communications with an emphasis in rhetoric and leadership and her MS in ministry with an emphasis in young adult spiritual formation. Professor Yoshimura has been a key speaker at churches and conferences across the country and is passionate about training young adults in leadership, communication, and public speaking. She will serve as the Faculty in Residence for the Heidelberg international program this Spring (2025), and she looks forward to partnering with the Sudreau Global Justice Institute to lead students in their cross-cultural experiences abroad this summer in East Africa.
Seth Bamburg
Associate Director of the Sudreau Global Justice Institute at Pepperdine
Associate Director for Spiritual Development at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law
Seth Bamburg joined the Sudreau Global Justice Institute as the Associate Director in 2022, after serving as Pepperdine’s Director of Planning, Operations, and Construction. Seth is also the Associate Director for Spiritual Development at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. He is a double alumnus of Pepperdine, receiving his B.A. in Political Science from Seaver College summa cum laude in 2014, and his J.D. from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 2017. Seth has long partnered with organizations that advance international and domestic justice initiatives and has taught related classes at Pepperdine, including the Anti-Human Trafficking Legislation Lab.
Additional Information
Learn more about the Sudreau Global Justice Institute at Pepperdine. Additional resources and organizations working along this program are The Amazima School and Restore Leadership Academy.
