What?

I can’t imagine going through life without anything to drive you to keep dreaming and pursuing your passions. Personally, I have a deep passion to explore the world through travel and learning through people from all walks of life. I also intend to travel the world to provide aid to my fellow man across the globe. I never want to ground myself and feel stuck in any place. The world is so vast and life is just waiting for me to explore as much as possible. People aren’t meant to live their lives in one place. The world lends itself to exploration and I intend to embrace it without restraint. There is so much that can be learned from every tiny piece of matter living and otherwise. I believe wholeheartedly that by traveling the world, I will be better in every way possible. My passion for travel couples well with my passion for helping others. Third world nations and even our own country are full of people who could use a helping hand. It is my belief that I will be able to meet these people where they are whether that is foreign or domestic. There will always be a need for global assistance. I feel fortunate that I have pinpointed a few interests in my own life that can be paired to allow me to not only make my life more complete but also enrich the lives of men and women around the world.

 

So what?

Ever since I was young, my parents fostered in me a love of the world and all that encompasses it. From a young age, there was a passion for travel and exploration that began to bloom within me. It has become a major part of who I am and has since driven me to take every opportunity I can to get out into the world. From a young age, I was able to ride to the park by myself and, quite plainly, explore my own world. As I have gotten older, many more opportunities have fallen into my lap. One such occasion was the chance to travel to Europe for two weeks while in high school. From touchdown of the place in Germany, I was permanently hooked. Through my two-week travels, I had the opportunity to not only experience the vast history of countries like Portugal and France, but also spend nights on the town in major metropolitan hubs. The entire trip touched every part of me and intensified the prior love I had for travel. I was fascinated with how similar yet different life could be across the ocean. I am forever changed and will undoubtedly continue to pursue world travel for the rest of my life.

            Again, I have my parents to thank for enkindling in me a love of service and making a difference in people’s lives. Ever since I can remember, I have found myself involved in some sort of service. Both my mom and dad are actively involved in service organizations around my hometown. By their example, I have found myself working in food pantries, nursing homes, homeless shelter, and so much more. Through church or through school, there were always endless opportunities to get involved. For me, it had always been more than just fulfilling requirements for one thing or another. I deeply enjoy connecting with people in my community. More often than not, I get the feeling that I get just as much out of the experience as the person I am serving. At this point in my life, I have continued to pursue new opportunities to give back and make the world a better place.

 

Now what?

            As long as I keep dreaming and continue to pursue my passions, I have no doubt I will continue to grow my entire life. The worst thing that could possible happen is to become stagnant. With the passions that I have developed thus far in my life, the possibilities are endless as to what paths I will find myself heading down. I am very optimistic and excited about pursuing a major that will foster my passions and take me to even greater heights. In college, the opportunities for self-growth are endless. It is my deepest desire to study abroad at least once throughout my time as a college student. Through study abroad, I will be able to continue to learn about the world and further nourish the love I have developed for travel. Study abroad would be an unbelievable opportunity to travel anywhere in the world with relative ease and it is a prospect I do not intend to pass up but engage in head on. At the University of Cincinnati, the active study abroad department is a great resource for fueling any dreams I wish to pursue. Also, through the University Honors Program, I am provided with even more chances to explore the world with guidance from knowledgeable and experienced faculty.  The chance to see the world is ripe for the taking. All I have to do is seize the opportunity.

            Through the Liberal Arts major at UC, it is my intent to continue to foster my passion for helping people and making a difference in the world. The advisors I have had the privilege of working with have been unbelievably supportive in assisting me in helping to make my dreams a foreseeable reality. I intend to combine minors in sociology, nutrition sciences, and a certificate in international human rights in order to foster a continuation of service into my professional career. Being in Cincinnati has provided me with endless opportunities to continue to be active in community service. Countless groups on and around campus have been created on the notion of service to the community. The Center for Community Engagement also provides endless weekly opportunities to engage in a broad spectrum of service. I believe that I am exactly where I need to be in order to further my passions for service through career development and community engagement.