May 23, 2013 · 6:42 am

Adventure 1: 6 Weeks in Bangladesh

Hello from the Dubai International Airport!

I’m currently over halfway through my journey to Bangladesh – one more 5-hour flight to go, following 13 hours already in the air. At this point excitement has set in, but this follows days of near nervous breakdowns, difficult goodbyes, nerves and the indescribable mix of emotions that inevitably follow me when I travel internationally. Now that I’ve met up with the entire team and we’ve started talking strategy I’m excited to get there and get started.

But what exactly am I doing? Well, myself and 5 other undergraduates at UVA were awarded a research grant from the Jefferson Public Citizens organization to conduct a needs and capabilities assessment of Gonokendros in Bangladesh with the non-profit BRAC. Basically we are working with BRAC to develop a pilot program that will increase usage of their library system. We are also investigating how to integrate technology into the library systems to help the average citizen increase their access to information. So at this point our plans are pretty broad, but we are hoping to clarify and narrow our research ideas in conjunction with BRAC management during our first few days in Dhaka.

While we hope that our research will have a lasting impact on BRAC and the communities of Bangladesh, I am also looking at this grant as an incredible learning opportunity. As someone who wants to go into the development world, probably the non-profit sector, this is an incredible opportunity. It is also my first extended stay in a developing country – which should be a great experience in regards to my Peace Corps interest for the future. While nerves are definitely running strong, I know once I get there I will probably fall in love – just as I did with Kenya 3 years ago. The thrill of a new adventure is always overwhelming for me, but I know the experience and greater world understanding I will take from this trip is worth way more than the few days of nervous discomfort leading up to the departure.  

As a public policy/leadership, and global development studies double major – I also think this trip will add valuable real-world experience to my classroom studies at UVA. Yes, you can learn a lot from theories and case studies, but ultimately I believe most of our learning is done outside of the classroom. Being able to come back in the fall with hands-on experience in the field will only deepen my understanding of the theories, and provide me with a reality to ground them in.  

So there’s a very broad overview of what we’re doing and what I hope to take from this trip. I’m sure we will take unexpected twists and turns and I will learn more than I can ever imagine sitting in the airport now. I look forward to sharing my journey, both physically and mentally, with you for the next 6 weeks and hope that you can also learn something from my adventure. 

And here’s a picture from the start of the journey!

Image

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , ,

May 18, 2013 · 6:20 pm

“The Summer of Adventure”

Image

I’ve decided to call this summer, the summer of adventure because that is what it has developed into the last few months. Already this summer I’ve traveled 1,900 miles in a car from South Carolina to Cleveland and everywhere in between.

Looking ahead I have 7 flights, countless driving hours and 27,000 total miles on the horizon before August 1st. Sounds like an adventure to me, and I couldn’t be more excited.

If you’ve read my blog before you know I received a grant from the University of Virginia to research the library and community center models of the non-profit BRAC in Bangladesh this summer with four other undergraduates. This trip becomes reality in 4 days when I board the plane that will take me across the world until July 4. Leaving the country for 6 weeks and a family trip planned for the middle of July doesn’t exactly make me an attractive employee for the summer, so instead I started looking to fill the space with other adventures that might bring me even closer to discovering who I am and what truly matters in this crazy world.

So here’s what I’ve come up with:

I’ll be spending the first 6 weeks of the summer working with BRAC to develop an improved community center model for Bangladeshi communities. Upon my arrival home I will be headed to Cleveland to celebrate the Fourth of July and the marriage of one of my cousins. I’ll then head to a ranch in Wyoming with my family for a week to relax and enjoy a glimpse of a summer out West.  Next up: I applied for and received a spot in the OXFAM CHANGE program in Boston, Massachusetts alongside 50 other undergraduate students to spend a week intensively learning about social justice issues and leadership skills. And finally, I will close out the adventures with a trip to the Philmont Scout Ranch and Taos, New Mexico to reunite with my boyfriend after a summer apart. The final adventure, and the most feared, will be getting my wisdom teeth removed in August. Oh, and I can’t forget one more family wedding in North Carolina in August.

Travel has always been close to my heart and travel experiences have been the ones that most inspire me and remind me why I love our world. This summer will take me across the country, and across the world – and I know I will learn more about myself than I ever would taking an office job for the summer. I don’t know exactly what I will learn along the way, but I’m excited to hit the ground (or air??) running and share what I learn along the way. So buckle up for the summer of a lifetime, and check back often to share in the summer of adventure.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

May 1, 2013 · 12:47 am

Remind Yourself of the Beauty of Life

Library. Food. Sleep. Repeat. This is what the reality of spring semester finals at UVA looks like for me. I can’t help but get overwhelmed by my own life as I watch the books pile up, try to coordinate 7 flights that will take me on adventures to Bangladesh, Wyoming, Boston, and New Mexico this summer, and look ahead to all the commitments already on the schedule for next fall. With a busy schedule, the days just slip away and then all the sudden I’m halfway through my time at UVA and I have no idea where all those days went. I know they have been full of great memories, long hours in the library and so much more but at the same time I can’t help but think that sometimes I live in the past or the future and neglect this present moment because its so much easier to focus on other things.

Yesterday I took a final exam, turned in a 15-page paper, and wrote a 10-page paper that was due today.  I spent approximately 8 hours in the library, downed 2 cups of coffee, 3 sodas and variety of high sugar candy – clearly desperation had set in. While I was struggling to grasp the interaction of the words “Africa” “diaspora” and “religion” for my essay a friend stopped by my study carrel and shared Louie Schwartzberg’s Ted Talk “Nature. Beauty. Gratitude.” with me. If you need something to restore faith in yourself and humanity (as I certainly did) then watch this. It’s only 10 minutes and I promise it’s worth it.

I could probably write an entire blog series about the sections of this video that resonate with me, and maybe I will in the future, but for now I’ll leave you with one of my favorite lines, “Its not just another day, it’s the one day that is given to you. It is a gift. It is the only gift that you have right now and the only appropriate response is gratefulness.” So be grateful for today, and try to keep in mind that while today might be crazy, busy and stressful it is still a gift so take a moment to appreciate it.

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , ,

April 10, 2013 · 3:49 am

Building the Foundation of my Future…Time to Declare Majors!

The day has finally come in my UVA career to declare majors. I can’t believe my second year is coming to a close. For me, majors was not simply filling out a form, but rather involved a stressful process of applying into selective programs at UVA. I knew coming into UVA as a first year that I wanted to try and double major in the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the interdisciplinary Global Development Studies program in the College of Arts and Sciences.  I was weary of giving up a degree from The College in favor of one from the Batten School because I feared losing the liberal arts focus and recognition, but ended up learning that while Batten is technically a professional school they still retain a strong liberal arts focus.

I submitted both my applications at the end of February, and found out over the last few weeks that I was accepted to both! So now I don’t have to worry about losing the liberal arts, and get to have the best of both worlds in my opinion. As of a few days ago I have officially declared both my majors, and as a result have essentially picked my classes for the duration of my UVA career.

I am BEYOND excited about these programs, particularly the dialogue I foresee between the two areas. Over my first two years here I have grown from an idealistic 18-year old with ideas to change the world into someone with a better grasp on reality. Classes, guest speakers, and my own experiences have led me to the understanding that while ideas are so important, they aren’t necessarily enough on their own. So while I will get all the development theory that I love through the GDS program, I will also learn how to apply it in the real world through the Batten School.

In a moment of panic trying to coordinate a double major, sustainability minor and studying abroad I ended up creating a spreadsheet that details the next two years of my life. And I must say – it looks like there are a lot of interesting courses on tap. Considering I will be signing up for my fall 2013 classes in less than 9 hours, I will give you a taste of what my course of study will look like. As of now I will be taking Theories of Development, Development on the Ground, Value and Bias in Public Policy, Research Methods and Data Analysis (stats, yikes), Development Policy, and Social Entrepreneurship…yes I decided to overload, but all the classes looked too interesting. Cross your fingers for me that they are all still open when I sign up tomorrow!

I am thrilled with the opportunities that lie ahead of me, and I think that these two majors will interact in a way that will greatly change and deepen my understanding of what development is, and how we really can go about creating a better world.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , ,

March 20, 2013 · 12:49 am

Reconnecting FA with Kenya: Kheri Comes to Speak

Last week while I was home for spring break, I got the chance to catch up with Kheri from the Royal Kids School and the middle schoolers at Fredericksburg Academy. A few years ago, I brought Kheri’s brother Adili to speak, and the kids absolutely loved him. When I found out Kheri was visiting, and happened to coincide with my break, I knew he needed to speak at FA.

            Logistically coordinating a relationship between FA and RKS from Charlottesville has been tough over the last two years. While we had every intention of maintaining the pen-pal program it became too difficult between tracking the snail mail and coordinating letters for the ever-changing classes at both schools and the program started to fizzle. However, coming up with a more effective program to connect the two classes has been difficult. So getting the chance to reconnect the kids with Kenya through Kheri’s visit was a wonderful opportunity, and I was inspired to see the motivation the 12-14 year olds left that presentation with.

            The first question after Kheri finished his presentation was, “So what can we do?” and my face just about lit up at the excitement I could feel in the room. The kids had all kinds of ideas for how they personally wanted to do something to help out their fellow students in Kenya. This type of motivation and action taken on their own accord is what gives me hope for our future. If we can instill more students at a young age to understand the connection we have to people across the world, then I think we will see a much brighter future for our world.

            I am now in the process of coordinating with the head of FA’s Middle School, Carol from E3 and Kheri to keep this momentum flowing. I realize that my position in this partnership has changed from where I stood at the helm two years ago as a senior at FA. I now realize I must hand over the reigns to someone who is at FA constantly and can help keep a better read on the interests and motivations of the students. I will always be a part of the relationship between FA and the Royal Kids School, but I want to focus on creating the strongest relationship possible for the sake of all the students involved. I read an article in UVA’s Cavalier Daily today where a girl shared her experience from an Alternative Spring Break trip, and her third “Life Lesson” was “It’s Not All About Me.” This is something I am starting to embrace in regards to Kenya because at the end of the day it is not all about me. My goal has always been to inspire others to act on issues they care about, and I am realizing that they best way to do this right now may be to empower others to take control of a project so close to my heart. While I look to pass off some responsibility to allow FA to create a more direct relationship with the Royal Kids School, I still am excited to with the students and see where this connection may go in the future.

            I know there are currently Skype dates in the works, a backpack drive to help provide the Kenyan students with important school supplies, and potentially a future trip to provide a firsthand connection between the students. I can’t wait to see what else these amazing kids come up with in their futures both at FA and beyond. 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , ,

March 12, 2013 · 6:07 pm

Girl Rising

Last week UVA’s Women Center, the Human Rights Film Festival and College Council held a premiere screening of the new documentary Girl Rising; a film that depicts 9 different girls from 9 different developing countries and their barriers to receiving an education.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about the film. I think the message they are trying to convey is SO important, but I wasn’t crazy about how they chose to showcase each story. I take issue with the fact that each girl’s story was written by a renowned author and then acted out for the film. I understand these are difficult areas of the world to film realistically, but I felt there was a definite loss of authenticity with this style. I couldn’t help but wonder how much of the stories actually came from the girls, and how much artistic liberty the authors had taken in crafting a story that would also sound good for the camera. I also didn’t always appreciate the animation used during the film, and didn’t understand the reasoning behind its inclusion in certain stories but not others. Despite these issues I have with the Girl Rising film, I have no argument against their cause and ultimate message.

I agree 100% that educating girls is the key to providing a better future for our world. The transition between each story in the film are scenes that take place in an open field where a collection of girls provide various facts and visuals about challenges facing girls in the developing world and how education can help create positive change. These facts are what hit home for me, and I don’t think many people can argue with the statistics that educating girls reduces poverty, child mortality, HIV rates, corruption, population growth and helps reverse trends towards terrorism.

Girl Rising is a part of the 10×10 movement, which is a global action campaign for girl’s education. 10×10 is maximizing the idea of a social issue campaign by working with filmmakers, nonprofits, policy leaders, individual citizens and maximizing social media to create a brighter future. Change cannot be created through just one channel, and the 10×10 movement is working to create equal opportunities for girls through many different channels in hopes of having the biggest impact.

Check it out for yourself at http://www.girlrising.com and http://10x10act.org and let me know what you think.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , ,

March 2, 2013 · 10:32 pm

Spotlight on: Thankful for 2013

I can’t remember the last time I was awake before 10 on a Saturday morning, but today I found myself up at 6:30am to take part in Thankful for 2013.

Two great friends, Chris Zapple and Alex Shannon, hatched this crazy idea in December: to run/bike/swim a combined 2013 miles, complete 100 hours of community service and raise $2,600 to donate to Madison House Volunteer Programs at UVA, all by the Charlottesville Marathon on April 6. Thankful is about more than getting in incredible shape and making a difference in our community, Thankful is about inspiring others. Chris and Alex want to inspire others to find their own passion, live with no regrets, and be thankful for everyday.

This is a message I couldn’t support more – it is completely in line with the values I try to live everyday and promote through 18 for 18 and the Elimu Project. While our personal accomplishments of sponsoring orphaned students’ education, or completing the above combination of athleticism, volunteering and fundraising are commendable; we all believe that the biggest impact will come from the people we can inspire to act on issues they care about by seeing the passion we have for our causes.

When Chris asked if I would come to the Haven with him this morning, I, of course, said yes. I knew it would be an early wake-up call, but I also knew how much he enjoys the breakfast shift every Saturday. Knowing how much Thankful means to him, I would never turn down the chance to support a close friend’s passion. Spending the morning cooking breakfast for Charlottesville’s homeless was a humbling way to start my Saturday morning. The Haven reminded me that as much fun as college is, the world is much, much bigger than my life at UVA, and I must be conscious to not become absorbed in the bubble of privilege that surrounds much of Grounds. I thank Chris, and Alex, for giving me the opportunity to experience a part of Charlottesville I otherwise never would have. I foresee myself spending many more mornings at the Haven over my next two years here.

I’ve been following Chris, Alex and Thankful since it’s conception in December, and watching the growth over the last two months has been an inspiration.  Harry Truman said, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Throughout Thankful I have watched Chris and Alex ‘come alive’ and dedicate themselves to completing absurd mileage after long days of class, waking up every Saturday morning at 6:30 to cook breakfast at the homeless shelter, tutoring students on Thursday nights, and truly living their lives in a way that coincides with the vision of Thankful. I can only hope their passion will rub off on many others, as it has on me, and make our entire community ‘come alive’.  I am excited to see what they will accomplish in the final month, and you can bet I will be at the finish line of the Charlottesville marathon to cheer them on.

These two are truly an incredible, and I am thankful to have both of them as friends and inspirations in my own life. I like to think I live my life in a way that seeks to create a positive impact, but it is always nice to know you have others who hold your same values. I now turn this to you and ask: what are you thankful for?

Thankful for 2013. Thankful for Life.

Please check out Chris and Alex’s blog: http://thankfulfor2013.blogspot.com

And if you would like to contribute to their fundraising please click here. Madison House is the organization that runs Bridging the Gap, the program I am volunteer with at UVA. Through Bridging the Gap I am privileged to mentor two refugee boys, Blessing and Richard every week for the entire year. Seeing their growth and ever-present enthusiasm through the year, and creating a strong relationship with them over many ‘breakfast for dinners’, is truly a reminder about what is important in life. I’m sure the Thankful donations will improve many programs like my own that positively impact students at UVA, children like Richard and Blessing, and the greater Charlottesville community.

Visit their website: http://www.madisonhouse.org to learn more.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , ,