Category Archives: Building A Better World Scholarship

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

Below are excerpts from Hanna Kirschner’s  winning essay for the Global Awareness portion of the 2019 Building A Better World Scholarship.  Go here to find the 2019 Building A Better World Scholarship Award Winners…

I need to expand my bubble… “In order to fulfill my personal responsibility of being globally aware, I feel that I must continue to do three things throughout my life: I must be kind to everyone, no matter their differences, I must immerse myself into other cultures, even if it puts me outside of my comfort zone, and I must learn everything I can about anything I don’t know already. I need to expand my bubble as far as I can to become the best person that I can.”

Be kind… “The first step to being globally aware is to be kind to everyone, to see someone that might not look like you or have the same things that you do and not treat them any differently than anyone else. I think that this is the most important thing you can do, but you must do it consistently.”

Just jump in and do it… “You also have to be able to push through your comfort zone into customs and cultures that are not like your own. Being open to try new things, new foods, new experiences is so important, especially if it is hard for you to understand a culture without being apart of it…That is something I need to work on; I am pretty good at observing, but I need to teach myself to take risks, to just jump in and do it.”

Lastly, I simply need to learn “…Living in a world that is constantly changing, you must be constantly learning or you’ll fall behind. You can always learn about different cultures, different people, different lives. They expand your mind. They make you more aware. Learning is never a bad thing to do; it is how you grow as an individual. You must take in everything you can, analyze it, and propel yourself off of it at every opportunity.

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and check out Hanna’s plans… “Although I ultimately wanted to go away to college, I chose to attend Muskegon Community College first with the Muskegon Promise to really figure out what I want to do with my life, what I want to become. As of right now, I plan on studying psychology, unsure as to what specific field I want to go into, but I want to learn as much as possible to fully take advantage of this opportunity. Maybe psychology won’t be what’s best for me, but I will figure it out eventually. All I know for sure about my future is that I am going to travel as much as possible and learn from every person I meet, to expand my bubble as far as I can, while I’m here in this world.”

Hanna at Dexter Baptist Church in Montgomery Alabama. Spring 2019.

Thank you for your support through the years.

Together, We Can.

Marek Brott, Catherine Jenkins, Madison Dutton

Congratulations Ladies!  You each have won a $2000 award from Building A Better World Scholarship.  Please go here to learn more about the history of our Scholarship. 

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McKenna Whipple and Savana Cooper   

Congratulations Ladies!  You each have won a $3000 award from Building A Better World Scholarship.  Please go here to learn more about the history of our Scholarship. 

Continue reading →

Below are excerpts from Savana Cooper’s winning essay for the Global Awareness portion of the 2016 Building A Better World Scholarship.  You can fine 2016 BBW Winners.  

We tend to Isolate Ourselves – “We tend to isolate ourselves in our lives and in our responsibilities, but we forget that there is more. There are more beliefs, more people, and more experiences. These are all things that if we had the interest to seek to understand, it would make co-existing with other races and cultures more experiential and peaceful. Given this, it is indeed our responsibility to become educated on not only foreign cultures, but foreign issues. This is why it is so great that we have an exchange student program at our school, because we get to hear stories as well as personal experiences from students all around the world.”

American Model United Nations at MCC – “On a more personal level, I am currently in the Early College program and attending Muskegon Community College. I have to say that the most informational thing I have done regarding Global Awareness is  taking part in the American Model United Nations.  For those not familiar with the AMUN, colleges from around the United States choose a country to study all aspects of their economy and politics. Last year I studied food security and nutrition in Rwanda, and I learned so much about Sub-Saharan Africa along the way. During our conferences in Chicago, listening to other college students talk about the issues in their country they represent was very informative. It takes passion, and it takes an open mind to learn about other countries. This coming fall semester at Muskegon Community College, I plan on taking the course again to study a different country.”

American Sign Language –  “I have also been taking classes in American Sign Language. This is an interest that I picked up when I traveled to Washington DC last May with Oakridge Close Up. I have recently found a passion in sign language and the Deaf community. An interpreter for sign language tends to travel around the United States quite often. This career field would be quite different than what my original plans are of becoming a veterinarian, so I have not quite decided which one is the best option for me.”

Travel Abroad with WMU –  “In the spring of 2017 after I graduate from Muskegon Community College with my Associates in Art and Science, I plan to transfer to Western Michigan University. WMU has a great study abroad program, and has connections with a college in Berlin, Germany. I plan to apply for this program and I await the opportunities this will bring me.”