Exposure Of A Global Education Through The Semester At Sea Circumnavigation Voyage

For the last 17 years my father has worked with nonprofits to bring education to refugee camps in the most forgotten places on earth. He goes where the most basic services that we take for granted are lacking. All his efforts are made under the premise that education is the most liberating assistance of all. This early awareness of the abysmal inequalities that exist in the world has profoundly influenced my character and worldview. I carried out a variety of service activities in high school, all focused on helping leverage educational opportunities. My volunteer work allowed me to put my

As a first generation Indian-American, I am no stranger to being a part of a distinct community while observing two unique cultures. Traveling to India exposed me to a dynamic population with rich diversity comprising of numerous languages and differing religions. Though these individuals may have had differing customs from their neighbors, there were similar ambitions to conquer grinding poverty. This poverty can be clearly noticed by seeing citizens sleeping on floors of a railway station, or the lack of air conditioning in searing hot weather. The frailty and mortality of the human condition was starkly visible in India. As a fellow human, I was humbled not only by the lack of privilege and opportunity of many citizens, but also by their

Over a million people continue to suffer discrimination, degrading treatment, and violence because of caste association. The caste system is based on structural inequalities between high and low cast untouchables involving social isolation and exclusion from participation in social, political, and economic developments of society.Dr. Susan Bayly, an expert in the field, defines caste as not the

The caste system has been extremely stable in India for over two thousand years. It is only since the more modern, independent state of India was formed that the system has come under any scrutiny at all. It is presently outlawed, but many of the practices, attitudes and traditions remain ingrained in Hindu society (University of Wyoming, 1997).

I failed a chemistry class, even with tutoring, meetings with the teachers, and at home tutoring from my roommate who was attending EWU as a Biology/Chemistry major. The disaster of that course, diminished my thinly restored confidence and I fled. I took up an opportunity to become an expat and live in Lebanon. The first summer I was there, I witnessed the war between Palestine and Israel, only a country away. The impact my experiences changed how I viewed privilege and what I had taken for granted back home. I felt ashamed at what I had so readily given up in self-pity and comparatively meager issues. Thus, after teaching English for a year and traveling, the profound realization of how imperative my education was towards helping the world become a better place sank in. I wanted to go farther than I ever had but this time I was going to do it right. My life became an awareness of the worlds pain, its need, and my insuppressible desire to solve it. I moved back to Chewelah after nearly a year and a half in Lebanon, and with a wholly renewed

From this passion, I have worked in my community to become more globally minded. I was incredibly fortunate to be selected by my high school to attend the 16th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, in which I listened to Nobel Prize winners talk about peacebuilding around the world, further inspiring me to work in social reform. This past July, I was selected to attend Camp Rising Sun, where I developed my leadership skills while living with 60 young women from around the

Senior Sela Davis decided to go on this trip because she knew this would have a bigger impact on her than going on another vacation. This experience was more than she expected it to be,

As poverty, terrorism, hunger, and economic crises escalate, I believe it is essential for me as a student to possess a deep human desire to contribute to my school, community, and ultimately, the world. Because of my profound attributes, I am able to promote leadership, develop character, and create enthusiasm for academic excellence. I was chosen as a candidate to display academic prestige but I perceive it as an opportunity to offer my exemplary efforts of scholarship, leadership, service and

Ali explained to me that in her Hindu culture and religion, it was custom to have a marriage between two people arranged by the parents. My shock turned to confusion; I had only heard of arranged marriages in movies and books. Not something seen in real life. I was used to a culture where the majority of the population is Catholic and Hispanic and couples choose each other. Since she’s my friend, my first thought was concern for her happiness in an arranged marriage after living in the United States for so long. How much of our culture and customs has she absorbed and what impact will it have on her “arrangement”? But, she then mentioned she was happy and excited because she knew and liked the person whom she is set to marry. My concern for her arranged marriage dissipated; I knew that what may not seem normal for me was normal for her. So, I also came to realize the important part here was that she was happy. I didn’t know it then, but those thirty minutes around lunch table altered my views and they were forever changed for the better. It also exposed me to a small part of the world outside of my non-diverse border

Hank’s physician assistant Divya Katdare, is of Indian decent, who’s parents to do not approve of her working in the medical field. Instead, her family sticks to the traditional Indian cultural roles of arranged marriage, which eventually falls apart and becomes shunned by her parents for a time for not obeying their wishes. In this instance, we can see the cultural values of the United States beginning to shine through. Freedom to choose and marry whomever a person wants is a cultural norm and something that is prided upon by Americans. As a culture, we tend to look down on cultural traditions where individuals are forced into arranged marriages. This also goes along with stereotypical views of Indian culture. If their children do not obey the parents, they suffer from being shunned by their

These aspects in my life have fueled my love of international travel and inspired me to follow a career where I could help those who can’t help themselves. Inspired me to work for organizations such as the U.S embassies, or the United Nations, specifically UNICEF. Both serve different

Nowadays more than ever people must work together to reach a shared goal of world peace and unity, even though we all come from various backgrounds and upbringings .Through my studies in the United States I have come to conclusion that the world has shrunk in its size. That is, every person has the opportunity to travel and reach their full potential, and as an international I can fully relate. I decided to pursue a higher education in the United States for the sole reason of a diverse learning opportunities there, specifically majoring in Criminal Justice with concentration in Pre-Law, and later picking up a minor in Political Science. The combination of both broadened my worldview and overall knowledge of current events.

This joint family, like any social organization, must face problems such as acceptable division of work, relationships and specific family roles. These familial relationships are managed on the basis of a secular hierarchical principle. In fact, all Indians owe respect and obedience to the head of the family, who usually is the father or the oldest man of the family community. In The Gift of a Bride: A Tale of Anthropology, Matrimony and Murder by Nanda and Gregg, it is explained that, “females [are] placed under the perpetual guardianship of first their fathers and elder brothers, then their husbands.” (Nanda & Gregg 22) Thus, all the spending decisions, studies and profession, or marriage, are exclusively the responsibility of the father after the possible discussions with the other men of the family. Age and sex are the basic principles of this hierarchical system. The eldest sons enjoy greater unchallenged authority than their cadets. Of course men have more authority than women, but older married women have an important role within the family. In fact, the authority of a woman depends on the rank of her husband inside the group. Traditionally, the wife of the patriarch rules over domestic affairs and has considerable power over the other women in the community, especially her daughters- in-law.

After returning from those trips, I mentored inner-city youth in New Jersey and recognized similar behaviors. The two international trips increased my ability to be compassionate and understanding but also drove my curiosity toward preventative measures. I continued to work with students and adults in this capacity through other volunteer programs, and I am now ready to successfully complete a program that would give me the skill set to do this professionally. I have always been a strong, self-driven, and well-rounded student.

To Americans, Africa is this enormous, frightening continent that is to be avoided like the plague, unless we want to look caring and knowledgeable. NoViolet Bulawayo provides several examples of such attitude in her award-winning novel. While still living in Zimbabwe as a young girl, Darling and her friends are often hounded by non-governmental organizations and news stations desperate for pictures of those starving African children everyone always hears about. They show up with cameras and apathy when Darling’s town is destroyed by bulldozers and when they hold a funeral for a man murdered for advocating change (p. 69, 137-138). And at one point in the novel, when Darling has already lived in America for a while, she is cornered by a sympathetic white woman in the bathroom of a wedding.