Below are excerpts from Halle Jenning’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 have opportunities… “Living in a first world country, I feel like I have more opportunities as well as a loving family who supports me with school, my hobbies, and other extracurricular activities. This has instilled in me a passion for giving back as much as possible and caring for the ones who need it most. This is what I look forward to each and everyday. I volunteer each summer at Camp Sunshine, where I interact and meet new friends who suffer with life-threatening illness. I’ve also volunteered at my local hospital by holding and caring for babies with drug addiction. My love for volunteering and helping others is endless and my goal someday is too adopt a child of my own from an orphanage.”
My mom and I will visit Bam… “One of my biggest aspirations in life is to participate in a trip where I am able to experience a whole different culture, but also be able to volunteer at an orphanage… My Mom and I will head to Bangkok, Thailand (summer of 2020), where we will reconnect with my sister Bam, who was my family’s exchange student in 2015….Bam will give us a tour of her home town and some places that are her favorites. With her living there, we will have a better chance to experience and see their culture closer up. What interests me the most about Bangkok is the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace is described to be the most visited attraction in Bangkok, due to the fact that it is known to have been home to the country’s royalty. Considering the fact that I love to eat, I would want to take a food tour and check out the local floating food markets.”
The Orphanage… “After the four days, I will be volunteering (with my mom) at a local orphanage called “The Friends for Asia Foundation” for two weeks in Bangkok. While I’m there, I will be getting kids ready for school, participating in afternoon activities such as, gardening, painting, cooking, and picking up food from the market. When the kids get back home from school, I will help with homework, cooking, and cleaning. We will get to have lots of free time with the children, which is great for building special connections with them… I will be there to volunteer my time and effort to provide care and love to these children and build special connections with them lasting a lifetime.”
My dream is to make a difference in the world… “Going on this journey is something I’ve always wanted to do. My dream is to make a difference in the world with all the power and ability I can. I want the chance to impact others lives and build relationships that I will forever cherish. I feel this trip will push me in the right direction to pursue that dream and give me a great opportunity to see the world and change people’s lives.”
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Halle and her Mom are going to Thailand.
and check out Halle’s plans… “I am going to be a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. I will be attending Lake Michigan College in the fall to play softball and to also get a bachelor’s degree in Nursing. Eventually I plan on getting my Master’s degree as a bedside registered nurse in a level 3 NICU. My journey of making a difference in the world begins the summer of 2020, where my mom and I will travel to Bangkok, Thailand and volunteer for 2 weeks. I plan to visit the Friends for Asia Foundation every summer and my goal is to later adopt. I want to make a difference in the world for those who don’t have anything and I also want to make people aware of the changes they can make on others lives just by volunteering.”
Thank you for your support through the years.
Together, We Can.
