Excerpts from Nicole Depender’s winning essay for the Global Awareness portion of the 2014 Building A Better World Scholarship. Go here for Nicole’s Independent Travel Essay. 2014 BBW Winners.
Global Thoughts – “When we are young people ask us what we want to be when we grow up, we usually answer with “lawyer, doctor, singer, etc.” Most children would never answer with “traveler.” However, to be a traveler means that you are aware of the problems of other places. Taking the time to travel, and see different parts of the world is extremely important in helping the world go around. Sometimes we think that when we don’t have cell phone service we have it bad. But when you look into a different country, you see that they don’t even have drinking water for all of their citizens.”
First and Third Worlds – “To be born into a first world country has given me the opportunity to know what it is like to live “on top.” By this, I mean that I am able to know that even though most everyone has it better than I do, I know that I still have it better than people in third world countries. We need to take part and help others get to where we are today. If you look at countries in Africa, you see extreme poverty, you see that they don’t have the technology that we have, or even the human capitol. If more people would take the time to focus on someone other than themselves, then this world would be a much better place.”
My Plan – “I want to be involved with Doctors Without Borders. Being involved with a program such as this would benefit me because it will really open my eyes to show me how much we have here in America, while other countries are barely getting by. To help out in other countries is something that interests me because I want to travel and get involved with those of different cultures. I want to help make this world a better place for those in poverty, and I want to make a difference – one that will change the lives of many. Everything that I will learn throughout college will help me be able to help other people realize that they can make a difference one person at a time.”
Nicole and her sister Shannon with the 2014 Regional Softball Trophy – an Oakridge High School Softball first ever Regional Championship.
