Why I Want to be a Global Scholar

What experiences have awakened your interest and will help you contribute to the Global Initiatives Program at Poly? In what ways do you hope that the Global Scholars program will expand and deepen your global perspectives?

When I think about what has created my interest in Global Outreach two experiences come to mind, the first of which being the Dominican Republic GIP trip I took two years ago. Coming into that trip, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I was certainly interested to find out about life there. I wasn’t expecting the precautions and safety measures we would have to go through to ensure a safe trip, and it was the first thing there that made me realize my privilege in the United States going to a private school where I know I’m always safe. Furthermore, when I got the chance to actually go and teach in the classrooms and get to see how happy the kids were to have us volunteers there, it certainly made me feel like I was doing something that mattered, which was a feeling I want to replicate, and I think I can do that best with the Global Scholars Program. The second experience that really opened my eyes was going through Children’s Hunger Fund’s “Poverty Encounter,” a presentation where they take you through the daily lives of some of the families and kids in the various countries they work with. Seeing the conditions some of those kids are going through to survive combined with seeing firsthand the life in a developing country has made me want to do something like setting up projects to improve the quality of life for those people. I think my experience in those environments and my other interests in global economies and what factors contribute to that would make me a valuable member of the Global Scholars cohort. In terms of what I hope to get out of the Global Scholars program, firstly, I think so far my experience with global issues has mostly been through the lens of education or economics and the role that plays, so I’m hoping to gain a broader perspective with things like housing, water, or sanitation. I also think that the opportunity to be in a class solely focused on global issues with other students that also might share similar interests or goals would be an amazing environment to be a part of. Finally, I’m hoping to get to interact a lot more with those from different countries that have not had the same privilege that I have had to really help me become more aware and conscious of things I may say or do, but also really to do somethings that I care about that matters to those outside of my community.