Below are excerpts from Nicole Ortiz’s winning essay for the Independent Travel portion of the 2019 Building A Better World Scholarship. Go here to find the 2019 Building A Better World Scholarship Award Winners…
I would love to travel to Nepal…If I had the opportunity to travel anywhere in the world, I would love to have the opportunity to contribute to a good cause that would also benefit me. This is why I would love to have the chance to travel to Nepal and volunteer in the refugee camp through the International Volunteer HQ. This would give me the most amazing gift of being able to experience cultures first hand and bring awareness to the refugee crisis. …I would bring my best friend Hanna Kirschner with me because I know that we share similar philosophies on travel and global awareness. Also because we have always talked about how badly we have wanted an opportunity to volunteer outside of the country, so now is our chance.
I want to capture their stories… “I am interested in going to the camp in Kathmandu and through the program; I would go for a two-week stay. These are people that many in the world see as a nuisance or are often just misunderstood. While I am there, I want to capture some of their stories and make podcasts to show the world, or at least Wolf Lake, the truths behind these people. People who are seeking safety. People with nowhere to go. People who are displaced. People who have had their homes taken from them…”
The world must act.. “…Many of them are in these camps for years; their lives set on pause, for who knows how long. The least I can do with an opportunity to travel is to seek awareness for people who need it the most. These are basic human rights that they are losing, and the world must act, not just view.”
We… “In order to build a better world, people need to think of life in more of a “we” concept and not so much as “me”. By this I mean, instead of thinking about where you can vacation, given all the options in the world, we must think about others and who we can reach with such a rich opportunity. Nepal to me has it all, the ability to help others while still enriching me with its vibrant culture, and even providing the opportunity to bring my message home as well. If we all practiced this we would build a better, more understanding world.”
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and check out Nicole’s plans… “I will be attending Oakland University in the fall to pursue a bachelors degree in 
Journalism. Once I graduate I hope to become a travel journalist. I have always been fascinated with being a travel journalist because this way I will be able to bring stories to the surface of those who need to be heard the most. I believe that in this way we become more globally aware. Traveling to me is also an opportunity to help those who weren’t fortunate enough to be born in a first world country. This is why this trip to Nepal is such a big deal and focused around helping in a refugee camp along with sharing their stories. I can’t wait to see what this world has in store for me.”
Thank you for your support through the years.
Together We Can
