Mia with some of her peers at the National Arts Festival
Meet Dee Dee-- a child of the
SOS Children's Village in Port Elizabeth.
South Africa
July 2015
Fundraising Chair of National Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
NAACP Representative for Black Students United
Liberal Studies Major at California State University, Monterey Bay
First I would like to say thank you again for donating to a trip of a life time for me. I returned last week (July 2015) from my South Africa Trip. And I already miss it so much. I did not want to go in with many expectations--instead see what God had in store for me while in South Africa.
I studied Human Rights, Conflict Management, and Community Service while there. At the end of my courses, we had to document our experience and capture what we learned. My group and I chose to do a video. This video captures what Resilience and Reconciliation of the new democracy of South Africa looked liked to us. (Here is the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-zxlKyLGVA )
Something amazing worth sharing is the principle of Ubuntu: "I am me because of you!"
It is the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity. Such a beautiful philosophy! I wanted to grow as a person. I wanted to experience things that would push me out of my comfort zone and challenge me. I wanted to be able to see the world from a different perspective and open my eyes to the world around me. I am happy to say I was able to do that and so much more.
I was able to grow in who I am and I was able to obtain a more specific perspective of what I want to do in the future. I was also able to grow in my faith while abroad. I was a little nervous not to have my constant faith support while away. But I learned that I always have the Lord and He is my biggest support system. My trip abroad has ignited a passion of traveling and I can't wait to continue learning on a global level. With much love and gratitude, I would like to thank you for making this trip possible."