1. Investigate the World
In my French V class this spring, I followed the French election through a variety of class activities, discussions, and assignments. I learned a lot about how issues in France are related to those in the United States, and how the election’s outcome has a global impact. One project I did was to write a blog post (in French) about the immigration policies of the primary election candidates. To complete this project, I read articles from French news outlets like Le Monde, Le Figaro and L’Internaute. This research was challenging, because there was a lot of information to synthesize, and I sometimes had difficulty pinpointing the facts I needed. However, my findings showed me how divided French citizens are on this subject, and how France’s policies could impact the lives of refugees from North Africa and the Middle East. I also had the opportunity to interview a French citizen about his opinions on the election (my video is here). It was fascinating to hear his concerns and hopes for the election, and to compare his experience to mine during the U.S. presidential election. Drawing connections between France’s election and my own life was very eye-opening, because it showed me that France is not nearly as different from the United States as I had originally assumed. Learning the language and studying the culture, what had previously been a black box labelled "other" in my mind became a logical and comprehensible society not that different from my own. As I continue to engage with other societies and cultures in the future, this new perspective will help me recognize that while I may not understand another group of people, they probably have a lot more in common with me than I initially realize.
2. Recognize Perspectives
In 10th grade, I completed a Model UN project in which I was asked to research India’s views on girls’ education, then represent them at a MUN conference. This experience was invaluable in teaching me how to understand others’ perspectives on a topic that seems self-evident to me. Going into the project, I couldn’t understand why anyone would oppose girls’ education. However, through my research, I came to understand the complex cultural, political, and historical reasons why many girls in developing countries do not receive the same quality of education that boys do. Adopting the perspective of India on the issue, I learned how to not only present an opinion different from my own, but to listen to a wide variety of other opinions. At the conference, I worked with representatives from about twenty other countries (e.g., Morocco, Chad, and Pakistan) to pass resolutions on the topic of girls’ education. This experience was challenging because many of the other representatives didn’t share India’s views, but we eventually passed two resolutions to promote girls’ education. After this experience, I feel that I have a much deeper appreciation for the diversity of viewpoints on today’s most challenging global issues. The obstacles to progress can be daunting, but finding common ground with others and building meaningful partnerships with them is a powerful way to drive lasting change on problems like educational inequality.
I couldn’t find the paper I wrote for this project, but below is the opening statement I gave at the MUN conference.
I couldn’t find the paper I wrote for this project, but below is the opening statement I gave at the MUN conference.
scurlock_country_overview.docx | |
File Size: | 22 kb |
File Type: | docx |
3. Communicate Ideas
The fall of my junior year, I took a course in graphic design through the Global Online Academy, an online platform that offers unique classes to students at high schools around the world. Because the aim of graphic design is effective visual communication, this course really developed my ability to communicate ideas in a global context. As I learned about the basic principles of design and completed assignments such as designing an infographic about the benefits of solar energy, I frequently interacted my teacher in Jakarta, Indonesia and my classmates living everywhere from Durham, North Carolina to Amman, Jordan. Through my peers’ insights, I discovered how our cultures influence the way we perceive graphics and the associations we make, and I realized how important it is to be aware of the many different ways an image can be interpreted (the graphic below, for example, depicts the many different associations that are made with colors around the world). One particularly memorable assignment I completed was a group project with Omar, my classmate from Jordan, in which we worked together to design a chair that improves students’ posture. He had so many interesting insights about this topic, and our final product was something I never could have imagined from the start. While I do not plan to become a graphic designer professionally, I know the communication skills I developed through this course will be invaluable as I continue to interact with people from around the world.
Taking an online course was an interesting experience, because my "classroom" was an online platform and I had to take a lot of responsibility for scheduling my work and completing it on time. Working with classmates around the world also posed scheduling challenges, as it was very difficult to find times when we would all be available for video calls. As a result, some of us had to stay up late or get up early in the morning to work on group projects. However, these challenges were well worth the reward of getting to know other students my age from around the world.
Taking an online course was an interesting experience, because my "classroom" was an online platform and I had to take a lot of responsibility for scheduling my work and completing it on time. Working with classmates around the world also posed scheduling challenges, as it was very difficult to find times when we would all be available for video calls. As a result, some of us had to stay up late or get up early in the morning to work on group projects. However, these challenges were well worth the reward of getting to know other students my age from around the world.
4. Take Action
As the culmination of my tenth-grade World History course, two classmates and I were tasked with the challenge of designing an “action project” for the next year’s students that could be completed locally, while having a global impact. After much research into the work of various development organizations around the Seattle area, we decided that microfinance is one of the most promising means of impacting the lives of impoverished people around the world. We contacted organizations around the Seattle area that work in microfinance and asked how we, as high school students, could best support their work. To our surprise, we received a generous offer from Global Partnerships (a nonprofit impact investor) to allow students to tour the organization’s offices and talk with its employees. In return, we proposed that students would host a talent show to teach the school community about microfinance and fundraise for the organization. While actually implementing the project was left to the next year’s students, the planning process really demonstrated how I, as a student, can both determine what I believe are the most effective approaches to international development and take action to support these initiatives. It might take time and perseverance to carry out a meaningful action project, but the results are often well worth the effort.
Here is the website we created for this project.
Here is the website we created for this project.