AFP adds Vietnam and Kenya to its International Profolio.

In March 2026, Buffalo State professors Drew Kahn and Gehan Senthinathan spent five days in Vietnam, laying the groundwork for what will become a new study abroad program for Buffalo State students in June 2027.

Neither Kahn nor Senthinathan are strangers to international travel and collaboration—since 2011, Buffalo State’s Anne Frank Project (AFP), founded and led by Kahn, has brought more than 200 students to Rwanda for a study abroad program designed to build community, manage conflict, and explore identity by sharing stories stifled by oppression. The program focuses on utilizing stories as the curricular platform in the classroom and the delegation immerses itself in authentic experiences in schools, Genocide memorials, safaris, urban and rural villages, and local markets, as well as forming personal cultural connections. Last summer, Senthinathan, who is an associate professor and Chair of Social and Psychological Foundations, and his wife, Anita—also a Buffalo State professor—joined the delegation.

Senthinathan traveled extensively before coming to Buffalo State; in fact, part of the reason he came to teach at Buffalo State was because of the university’s support of the global community. (He and Anita have continued to travel for research during their time at Buffalo State.) During the Rwanda trip, Senthinathan was struck by the similarities between Rwanda and Vietnam, which he’d visited during a five-week backpacking trip while pursuing his doctoral degree.

“It became clear to me that what students go to Rwanda for had a lot of parallels with Vietnam,” Senthinathan said. “Building empathy, social responsibility, acceptance of the past, how we move forward…it’s the perfect platform for that. The ground is fertile for this kind of discussion.”

“We want to put our students in the midst of difficult places,” Kahn added, “so they are learning how to navigate complex, challenging environments.”