Riann Fri… below you’ll find excerpts from her winning essay for the Independent Travel portion of the 2021 Building A Better World Scholarship. Welcome to Riann Fri.
Please go here to meet all three of our 2021 Scholarship Winners.
Opportunities to Learn… “Travel is extremely important in creating globally aware people. It allows you to create personal growth as you step out of your comfort zone, as well as explore things you would not typically do. Traveling gives you the opportunity to learn different perspectives and further understand the world by exploring different cultures. Traveling is a humbling experience that can shape the way you view life. When you become globally aware individually, you can use those experiences when you get back home to provide different perspectives to your community.”
Our Planet… “With the prevailing issues of climate change and my passion for the environment since I was 12 years old, I have decided to take my passion further by studying sustainability at the University of Michigan. Through the changes I have personally made, like writing to the governor about banning plastic straws and bringing reusable bags to the store, as well as the knowledge I have gained, the number one thing I have realized is that the environment is something that impacts all people. Regardless of your race, socioeconomic status, or political beliefs, we all share the same planet.”
Coral Reefs in Bali… “I would love to use this scholarship to travel to Bali and volunteer with The North Bali Reef Conservation Program. This is a non-profit organization that works with volunteers and local communities to restore and protect coral reef systems…This organization gives volunteers many opportunities to not only work directly in protecting the environment, but also to educate children on conservation. as well as participate in weekly beach clean ups…The main focus of this program is to build and deploy artificial reefs onto areas that have previously destroyed reefs, and I would get to be directly involved with this operation.”
Untouched…“An interesting thing about the village of Tinanyar where I would be volunteering is it is completely untouched by tourism. This would allow me to experience travel in a unique way because much of where I have gone is extremely impacted by tourism, so the opportunity to work with locals and people directly impacted by climate change would give me a perspective I have never been exposed to.”
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Riann’s Plans … “I will be attending the University of Michigan in the fall with plans to pursue degrees in both Communications and Sustainability. I have had a passion for the environment since I was a young and I would love to have a career that contributes to something bigger than myself. I am super excited for this next part of my life and I am looking forward to achieving one of my main goals which is to make a difference! We only have one earth and I would love to be one of the people that works towards protecting it!”
