Young and inspired

     With a Bachelor's degree in Biology, I am constantly looking for new ways to improve the environment and influence those around me to do the same.  Last April, I planned the Spring Concert on campus.  The band Guster was chosen for the performance, together with their Campus Consciousness Tour.  This event was sponsored by Reverb, (www.reverbrock.org) an environmental, non-profit organization. We brought in vendors providing education on everything from organics to wind power.  The concert used carbon-neural energy and was a completely eco-friendly tour.  We also ran a food drive and a forum on green education.  We used the power of music to educate, inspire and activate.  The response was outstanding; more students attended the concert than ever in the school’s history.

     I believe that the way to make changes is through education; it is the gift that continues to give.  I center my beliefs on the Chinese proverb: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." As a 22-year old, fresh out of college, I feel I would be a large asset to the Earthwatch Institute Team. I will be able to share my education and experience, while being able to relate at the level of the young farmers at CoopeTarrazu.

     In a couple weeks I will be a college graduate.  During the past four years of my Jesuit education, the one thing that I have been constantly reminded is that wherever we go and whatever we are to become, we are to be "men and women for others". There are always opportunities for us to live our lives for others, such as through the Earthwatch Institute.  We are so privileged to belong to this great country of opportunity.  Along with privilege comes responsibility.  We have a responsibility to help those who can't help themselves.  Some may say that a large feat such as this one is just a lost cause, but in the as Jimmy Stewart says in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, "Lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for."