They call it commencement for a reason. It is a time when something ends. However it also initiates a beautiful beginning full of new experiences, untold stories, and dreams waiting to be achieved. As I encounter my last moments of my high school career, I reflect on the time I have spent with some of my first friends, people that I have seen pick their noses, have their first kiss, and get accepted into Harvard. My educational life has been comparable to a bubble. Within it is an environment that has been filled with the same people and same daily routine. This bubble is one of comfort that I have been living inside for the past 18 years. Seldom have I ever been forced to take on a challenge that I could not handle without the help of family and friends. Nonetheless, this is all about to change as my comfortable bubble pops and I am forced to open new doors and conquer new terrain.
I will be taking on all of these new challenges at Elon University. There, I will be studying international relations and minoring in Spanish. With this education, I hope to continue to work with non-profits and help people gain access to clean water and education. I believe those are the two essential issues that once fixed, will solve the worlds extreme poverty.
I first started at Givology this past Monday as a social media intern to fulfill my graduation requirement at my high school. I never expected that in such a short amount of time I would be so moved by this community of givers. A specific partner that has made an abundant impact on me is More Than Me. The story of [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klWEiCFL3M8]Beatrice[/url] was nothing short of earth-shattering. This 13 year old girl who was deathly ill said to one of the More Than Me partners, Im fighting so that no other young girl in Liberia has to be in this hospital bed, has to get in this type of situation. This young girl epitomizes the More Than Me organization. Beatrice was fighting for a greater purpose, something much larger than herself and her sickness.
As I begin to open these new doors, the greatest lesson that I will take with me is from Beatrice. Our lives are not defined by how long we live, the prestigious degrees we earn, or the amount of money we make. Our lives are defined by what we choose to do in the absence of these factors. Just like Beatrice, even in the darkest of times I hope to never stop giving.
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19 MAY 2015