Transylvania University senior Sarah Walker spent six weeks last summer in the Philippines, where she worked on art projects with groups of students and adults. Photos and paintings from the research project are for sale as part of an exhibit at the university, called Mactan, Pangan-an, Olango and Me.

A Brilliant Idea, a book illustrated by Walker's students, is available at www.lulu.com . Proceeds from exhibit and book sales go back to the students.

Answer: I went to the Philippines for a three-week service-learning course through Transy a year earlier. We did public health and housing projects. I thought, "I'm not going to be a nurse or an architect. What am I going to do as an artist?"

A: I worked with a group of young women and at elementary schools. At the end, I had a lot of money left over, so I bought disposable cameras and passed them out to people on three islands so they could take photos of their lives.

A: They really got into it. People would come over to the workshops and draw. I couldn't send them away and say, "No, this art isn't for you."

A: They had confidence. It mattered to someone. For young women I worked with especially, there's very little "I matter" or "I can change the world around me." They really liked the idea of communication with someone in another country.

A: I feel more confident in looking at myself as an artist and facilitating others. I'm willing to see the Filipinos as my neighbors and getting to know the neighbors I actually do have here.

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