Well, I am off to Hong Kong on August 31st and am nervous yet excited at the same time. Some of you may still be wondering what exactly I will be doing in Hong Kong, so I've decided to write a little bit about why I am here and what I'll be doing.
It was back in March 2008 at Iowa State University that I first found out about this amazing international scholarship opportunity through the Rotary Foundation. Rotary is a volunteer organization that was founded in 1905, and consists of business, professional, and community leaders from across the globe. Rotary members provide humanitarian service and help to build goodwill and peace. There are over 32,000 Rotary Clubs and about 1.2 million Rotary members in over 200 countries.
In order to help build goodwill and peace, one of the many things that Rotary offers is international scholarships to students so that they have the opportunity to study abroad and to take part in community service projects internationally. That is what I will be doing while in Hong Kong (and is the main reason why I chose to apply for this scholarship). I am considered a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and will receive US$24,000 for one academic year of study (all generously donated by Rotarians from my District...THANK YOU!!!!), which will help to defray the costs associated with travel, living, and tuition expenses abroad. I will be a full-time graduate student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and will work towards a Master of Arts degree in Anthropology (which I will obtain in my 8 months there). CUHK is located in Shatin, New Territories, the northern part of Hong Kong. While in Hong Kong, I also plan to be an active member in my host Rotary Club (Rotary Club of Mid-Level), plan to increase cultural awareness, and most importantly plan to make a difference.
If you would like to learn more about Rotary and what this amazing organization does, please visit their website at http://www.rotary.org/. You can also learn more about Rotary's PolioPlus program - a program that has helped to eradicate polio worldwide - by visiting the website above.
I am proud to be a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar of the Ottumwa Rotary Club, the Rotary International District 6000, and an unofficial ambassador for the state of Iowa and the U.S.A.! I'm excited for all of you to follow my travels and hope that I am able to inspire you with what I plan to do in the next year.
