Nonprofit Organization - Study Abroad Endowment by Hannah

Nonprofit Organization - Study Abroad Endowment by Hannah - February 2020 Scholarship Essay

Since entering college, I’ve heard countless times how your 20s are the ‘selfish years,’ how world travel is essential, and how to seize the day and say yes without a backwards glance. How this is the time to experience cultures different than your own, challenge yourself to live in places where English is not the predominant language, and to actually witness the history that you have learned about for the past 18 to 22 years. But how are you supposed to be “selfish” and find the resources to pay for a study abroad on top of the education you are already paying for? With the opportunity to start a nonprofit organization, I would love to start an endowment that would aid deserving college students in relieving the hefty costs of furthering their education through a study abroad. Ultimately, my hope is that having this endowment will allow those college students who did not even imagine that they could study abroad, would end up having this once in a lifetime adventure.

The experiences while studying abroad gives people a completely new perspective of life because you truly see how the other side of the world lives. Sometimes people tend to get too caught up in their own lives, grades, and upcoming internships and forget their is a world out there waiting to be explored. Not to mention when studying abroad, you are able to appreciate the multitude of different cultures and in turn begin to question parts of your own. While studying abroad, you may be put in situations where you need to react quickly and assess the best way to handle situations; it ultimately gives you a newfound sense of confidence in handling difficult circumstances and knowing that you have the ability to handle whatever curveballs life throws your way. Having the opportunity to immerse yourself in the lifestyles and culture of a different country is very humbling. It ultimately can show the bad that sometimes plague countries and people, but on the flip side shows the constant good that can be found in human nature despite where you may come from.

Overall, studying abroad is an adventure that many college students should have the opportunity to experience. The expensive price tag of going abroad holds back many deserving college students. I want to help college students who would not usually take the opportunity to experience their ‘selfish years’ and help fund a chance of a lifetime. I believe that at the end of the day, studying abroad makes people more thoughtful, self-aware, and ultimately better people and I believe this is an experience that everyone should have the opportunity to have despite financial drawbacks.