Building a Better World

Below are excerpts from Kennedy Mapes’ winning essay for the Global Awareness portion of the 2018 Building A Better World Scholarship.  Go here to find the 2018 BBW Winners.  

Just a typical Teenager – “For the longest time I was just a typical teenager. I was focused on myself and myself only, taking things day by day and merely existing. It wasn’t until I started to venture outside of my mental and geographical bubble that I actually began living.”

New York City –  “I was a 15 year old girl flying to New York City by herself and I had no idea what to expect. Muskegon is all I had ever really known. I was blind to true diversity, but the second I got into the city, my eyes began to squint open. I finally understood why America is nicknamed “the melting pot.” I looked in one direction and saw people of every race, ethnicity, and nationality that exists. I looked in another and saw churches for every religion, and I looked around again and saw members of the LGBTQ community being open and proud of who they are, which was unlike anything I had ever seen back home. It was shocking, but it was refreshing. It was amazing to see all of these different cultures not only coinciding, but coexisting. Witnessing all of these people from different backgrounds and different parts of the world accepting each other and feeding off of the same energy opened my mind to the beauty of globalization. …

…I have never felt more awake than I did in that moment.

We must rid ourselves of Cultural Ignorance– “We live in a world that is constantly evolving every single day and one of the largest contributors to its growth is globalization, which is the integration of the world’s cultures in order to create international businesses and corporations. This interconnecting of cultures creates a relationship between all nations of the world. It gives businesses the opportunity to find fresh, unique talent and innovation. Because of this connection, we, as human beings, have a responsibility to rid ourselves of our cultural ignorance and broaden our perspectives on the lifestyles of others.”

We must be Open to Foreign Cultures   – ” We need to work to understand the values of foreign cultures as that is the only way we can successfully integrate them into our society. We must be open to foreign lifestyles as their unique interpretations of the world contribute to the economic and social success of the world. We must learn to appreciate all ways of life so that every culture can peacefully coexist and I have taken it upon myself to make sure that that continues to happen for every generation to come

••••••••••••••••••••••••

...and check out Kennedy’s plans– “I am going to be a travel journalist. I will be attending Lake Superior State University in the fall to get a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Once I graduate, I am going to travel the world in order to research and understand foreign cultures and I plan on creating my own online podcast to document and inform people of my findings. My goal is to make the world aware of the lifestyles of other cultures while also becoming a more globally aware individual myself. I want to help people understand the importance of global awareness. I want to help people living in small towns like ours understand what diversity really is and how it strengthens the world we live in.”

Thank you for your support through the years.

Together We Can

Below are excerpts from Sunny Ross’ winning essay for the Global Awareness portion of the 2018 Building A Better World Scholarship.  Go here to find the 2018 BBW Winners.  

Understanding is Key –  “In order to live in a world with less prejudice and more understanding, people need to be more globally aware. If people are aware of others and their situations, then they would not be so easy to jump to conclusions and discriminate against people. Global awareness brings on globalization which creates more connections to assist and benefit from each other. That exchange will create bonds that connect nations through trading, assistance in reducing poverty, lead to more advancements, and overall make a better world. To think of a world where people can understand the situations and cultural aspects of a people, would offer so much more to life.”

Thank you Mom  – “Whether she knows it or not, it is most definitely my mother who set me on this track to become globally aware, and as I start my life, more exposure to different lives has continued that momentum. As a daughter of a mother who is from South Korea, I have learned so much from her and about Korean culture. I have had the exposure that many people I know do not experience. I hear the language, speak with the people, and visit their country. The exposure my mother has given me is the initial push to go out into the world myself, learn conventions different from mine, and gain as a person from it.”

Through the Church  – “Through my mother’s church consisting of a Korean congregation, I have met people who are similar to me who were born in the U.S with a parent or two from Korea, I have met students attending school through a VISA, and even people who have emigrated to the U.S permanently. As a church, we have volunteered at homeless shelters to cook meals and also volunteered at retirement homes to give instrumental entertainment and massages to the older folk. In my mind, these are small steps that my mother has given me to expand my scope of different people and develop compassion which I believe are baby steps to global awareness.”

Through the Shelter – “Cooking, then sitting and eating with the homeless has shown me at a young age that they are simply just people who are trying to get by. Many had kids and through their mannerisms, you could just tell that that child is their whole world. It makes me think that there are more like them but in even worse conditions around the world, such as countries that are underdeveloped and have governments that do not protect its people, or does little to nothing to help them.”

••••••••••••••••••••••••

...and check out Sunny’s plans– “To put this awareness to good use, my plan starts now as I prepare for my future. It is truly put into motion when I am financially able to travel to other countries and learn more through my experiences and interactions. In my future career, I plan to finish up at MCC and during the waiting period for their nursing program, I will go to Korea and teach English and probably take some cultural classes. In my time there I want to travel to other Asian countries nearby and get the full experience. From that journey, I hope to learn something that I can take back to my life in the U.S and grow closer to my mother, her family, other Asian-Americans and feel impacted by that visit. I strongly believe that through reaching out to other people, humanity can spread diversity and enhance understanding of other nations such as their economic, environmental, political, and social conventions and work with them symbiotically”

Thank you for your support through the years.

Together We Can

Below are excerpts from Shaina Benedict’s winning essay for the Global Awareness portion of the 2018 Building A Better World Scholarship.  Go here to find the 2018 BBW Winners.  

We Open our Eyes? – “By expanding our possibilities, we open our eyes to a brighter future. This can enable us to truly understand what is not seen by a quick glance but understood with an open mind. The idea of change comes with creativity and acceptance to what is not normal to us. It is not enough to just accept someone but to understand why they think the way they do. …we need to comprehend the cultural differences around the world in order for us to have a broader view of humanity and the issues that are at stake.”

Because of Mom and Dad   – “My family has raised me to view the world differently than how my grandpa sees it. When I was in elementary school and a young teen my parents took me to a youth group. This youth group was multi-racial. There were various types of ethnicities and I was the minority. I did not think much of it. I was young and was just happy to not be bored at home. I did not realize that this was not normal to others who lived in my community. The people that were my friends were discriminated against and I was offended because they were just kids who were judged by many for a culture and ethnicity they could not control.”

Celia from Estonia   – ” in the fall of 2017, I got an exchange sister from Estonia. She was very different my friend from Thailand, but I was determined to make the best of it because I had a chance to learn and get know a girl who lived in a country that was unfamiliar to mine. She told me about the foods she eats, her language, her friends and what they do for fun. Even the customs of the people in her country were very contrasting from my families. . In return, my family showed her the same. Our cultures are very contrasting, but we were able to come together and become best friends because we had humanity in common. It was hard at first to learn to change our way of life so that she would feel more comfortable and pressed the boundaries of what we expected. I have learned a lot from her and people sometimes complain that I sound like her and the way she talks, but at least I know that I am becoming more cultivated.”

No Time to Waste –  “I can see that all cultures are important and that by sitting in Michigan and pretending the rest of the world does not exist would be a wasted opportunity. In my future, I would like to find a career that allows communication with people and works them on a personal level… I want to be able to help people in all countries financially and spiritually, and after I graduate from Muskegon Community College I want to join study abroad programs at possibly Grand Valley University. I am a person who wants to be politically and socially involved…

…There is so much to learn about the cultures around the world that I want to explore. There are too many places to see, people to meet, and no time to waste.”

••••••••••••••••••••••••

...and check out Shaina’s plans– “High school was the beginning, but it will not be the end of my education. Every day there is something new to learn and something new to be discovered. Knowledge shouldn’t come with a cost, but it does. I have graduated, but I am going to finish up my Associates Degree at MCC with the Early College Program and then I plan to transfer to a University to get my bachelor’s degree in accounting or business. With this degree, I hope to make my own business. With my business, I hope to bring different cultures together through art, music, language, and stories. While being able to travel and help people who are who are struggling financially or to people who are not getting enough food and medical assistance. .. To say that I know exactly what I want to happen in the future is absurd because I don’t have all the answers. I only know what I want to happen and if it doesn’t work a certain way I am open for change, but I do have the basic guidelines to how to get where I am going. I think that if we are open to change we are open to possibility and that can take you places.”

Thank you for your support through the years.

Together We Can

Below are excerpts from Andi Cartwrights winning essay for the Global Awareness portion of the 2018 Building A Better World Scholarship.  Go here to find the 2018 BBW Winners.  

Why was I so fortunate? –  “I often find myself asking the same internal question: “Why was I so fortunate to be born here?”  No one chooses the life they were given …We live in a land that gives us opportunities, hope, and a promising future if we choose to work for it. Sometimes I forget that I live a life full of advantages…growing up with freedom, having the right to vote, receiving a good education, and having access to basic needs, such as food, water, and shelter. Yet, so many others live in a constant state of fear of war, poverty, disease and much more. Being globally aware is to see these problems around our world, and understand how our problems are just first world problems.”

7.442 billion people on this planet   – “Among the world, there are billions of different people, religions, cultures, and ways of living. As one person out of 7.442 billion people in this world, it is my job to connect myself with these people and understand our differences and commonalities. It is our job to learn and be open to learning about the other ways of living that may be abnormal to ourselves, yet accept and value them.”

Getting to know you   – ” Knowledge of world and the positive or negative events going on around the world all helps us understand each other a little more. Every single person on this planet has different backgrounds and beliefs. Knowing and understanding what others are going through and knowing their background will help everyone connect with one another on a deeper level.”

Less Hate – “Most of the time in today’s society people do not take the time to get to know one another and we a quick to judge them based on what they look like, what their race is, or even how they are dressed. If everyone were to take the time to listen to one another and understand their reasons for what they are doing, whether it be migrating to the United States or even having a different political belief, the world would be less conflicted and would have less hatred among its people.”

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

…and check out Andi’s plans– “It all begins out of state, 8 hours away, at a small liberal arts college in Waverly Iowa. I am enrolled at Wartburg College in the fall of 2018, and plan to pursue their Nursing Program, majoring in neuroscience or biology. Along with this, I plan to minor in Spanish, to incorporate a second language that will be beneficial for me in the medical field. While I plan to achieve all of this, I plan to travel through Wartburg’s Study Abroad Program as well as participate in many service trips each year that are across America. After research and talking to the head of Spanish at Wartburg, I am very interested in going on our Costa Rica study abroad trip. This trip is new to Wartburg and is for students pursuing both Spanish and Nursing. While in Costa Rica I will get to work in their health care system at a hospital as well as being able to use my second language.”

Thank you for your support through the years.

Together We Can

An Info flyer on BBW read it.  print it.  spread the word 🙂

Thank you for your support through the years.

Together We Can