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This Jamaican proverb, which means “we are small, but our actions have a big impact,” has inspired public administration and international policy and development student Neshae Johnson since her childhood in Jamaica—including guiding the direction of her  project.

The fellowship is part of the Kathryn Wasserman Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation, a multiyear initiative focused on productively harnessing conflict for meaningful change. It is open to all Middlebury Institute students and opens for applications each spring. Fellows complete diverse professional development opportunities and receive faculty mentorship as they complete yearlong projects. 

Taking Compassionate Action for Migrants

“Through my project, I weave in the intricacies and complexities of migration, from the dangers that migrants experience and confront on their journey to the perceptions they face from society and how their struggle is neverending,” said Johnson.

Johnson traveled to Costa Rica in early 2025 as part of an experiential learning trip through the Institute. She spent time at , a migrant shelter operated by la Fundación Lloverá in San José, Costa Rica. This experience prompted her to focus on compassionate action, the practical steps ordinary people take to help others. It is a core tenet of Buddhism that involves actively wishing for the well-being and freedom from suffering of all beings, and putting this wish into practice through selfless deeds.

,” Johnson illustrated the often harrowing journey of migrants through South and Central America before arriving in the United States, using maps, photography, and data from sources like the  to provide an engaging narrative.

Johnson also wove her personal reflections into the story by highlighting three organizations she identified as using compassionate action to support migrants: in Costa Rica, food distribution organization  in Mexico, and , an organization located in Tucson, Arizona, that installs and monitors desert water stations. She found a surprising similarity in these three different groups.

“The essence of compassionate action is confronting an issue face-to-face, sympathizing with those affected, and choosing to do something about it; regardless of how small the action or how minimal the perceived impact,” Johnson wrote in her project. “Lloverá Comida, Las Patronas, and Humane Borders were all spurred by both compassion and a random responsive action that no one anticipated would inspire the development of decades of work and decades of impact.”

Images from Neshae Johnson’s story map, the creative deliverable presented as part of the Conflict Transformation Fellowship.

New Perspectives on Working in Complex Systems

Johnson aspires to work in international development, designing and implementing programs and policies for Latin America and the Caribbean. For Johnson, the fellowship has helped her think of new ways to approach conflict and complex development issues.

“This experience expanded my viewpoints to be a problem solver and look at systems,” Johnson said. “Real change happens when you take compassion and do something with it.”