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Submission information
Submission Number: 43
Submission ID: 315
Submission UUID: ddfa4a38-bb30-4833-a73a-8785def39855
Created: Sat, 04/24/2021 - 19:12
Completed: Sat, 04/24/2021 - 19:12
Changed: Mon, 03/31/2025 - 23:50
Remote IP address: 67.173.254.77
Submitted by:Anonymous
Language: English
Is draft: No
Locked: Yes
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Palmy
Tran
She/her/hers
Aurora
CO
United States
80016
Environmental Engineering
English (5), Spanish (2), Thai (1)
When I was younger, my family and I would travel to Hawaii often in order to visit our family. For a few family vacations, I was able to enjoy the beauty of the resorts in Cancun and Cabo and I have had the privilege of traveling to Thailand one summer when I was 10 years old. The blissfulness of these destinations, while beautiful, later opened my eyes to how easy it is for many to disregard the social inequalities, economic inequalities, and environmental issues that the country is evidently facing.
When my family and I were eating lunch in a Mexican restaurant outside of a Cabo resort, I watched as children were selling T-shirts with a Cabo San Lucas logo, shell necklaces, cigars, and other varying vendor items. Seeing these children spend their time trying to sell products to tourists rather than enjoying the pleasures of being a kid evoked strong feelings of sadness. Knowing that purchasing one shell necklace will not be the solution to bring them out of the instability of the tourism industry is disheartening. The 2012 JSTOR article, "Women Beach and Marina Vendors in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico: Considerations about Their Marginalization", opened my eyes to the necessity of this form of living for many of the migrants to places with heavy tourism and traveling. The type of economy that I saw on and off the resort primarily consisted of those vendors and it was through my efforts to understand the drive behind these vendors that I learned about the instability of this form of living. This article has highlighted that these vendors migrate to Cabo San Lucas to earn an income through selling their products and for most, that is their only source of income for their families. Apart from the view of the public, I have come to learn about the abuse that these vendors are facing from police and tax collectors, further contributing to a lack of social welfare and economic stability. My limited experience of viewing the economic conditions of a country did not stop me from the urge to learn about its economic and social inequalities, and hopefully, through the Global Engineering RAP, one day I can address those inequalities.
I admire the Global Engineering RAP's purpose of learning about and addressing the issues that occur in less developed or poverty-stricken countries and communities. Any opportunity to be a part of the solution and to expand my knowledge outside of my own community is what I strive for from a study abroad experience.
When my family and I were eating lunch in a Mexican restaurant outside of a Cabo resort, I watched as children were selling T-shirts with a Cabo San Lucas logo, shell necklaces, cigars, and other varying vendor items. Seeing these children spend their time trying to sell products to tourists rather than enjoying the pleasures of being a kid evoked strong feelings of sadness. Knowing that purchasing one shell necklace will not be the solution to bring them out of the instability of the tourism industry is disheartening. The 2012 JSTOR article, "Women Beach and Marina Vendors in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico: Considerations about Their Marginalization", opened my eyes to the necessity of this form of living for many of the migrants to places with heavy tourism and traveling. The type of economy that I saw on and off the resort primarily consisted of those vendors and it was through my efforts to understand the drive behind these vendors that I learned about the instability of this form of living. This article has highlighted that these vendors migrate to Cabo San Lucas to earn an income through selling their products and for most, that is their only source of income for their families. Apart from the view of the public, I have come to learn about the abuse that these vendors are facing from police and tax collectors, further contributing to a lack of social welfare and economic stability. My limited experience of viewing the economic conditions of a country did not stop me from the urge to learn about its economic and social inequalities, and hopefully, through the Global Engineering RAP, one day I can address those inequalities.
I admire the Global Engineering RAP's purpose of learning about and addressing the issues that occur in less developed or poverty-stricken countries and communities. Any opportunity to be a part of the solution and to expand my knowledge outside of my own community is what I strive for from a study abroad experience.
In the Global Engineering RAP, I imagine that I would be surrounding myself with people who have similar empathetic values toward global community issues that this program aims to make better. I would like to live down the hall from someone who can go through the emotions and find the humanity of the communities that this program is striving to help and improve. I believe that there is significant value in having meaningful conversations about uncomfortable topics in hopes of reaching a sense of understanding and respect. If there is a possibility that the resident down the hall is open about topics that are largely overlooked, underrepresented, or of interest to themselves, I would feel a great sense of community. Inclusivity and connectedness are values in an individual that I look for because those values are essential for a program whose purpose is to connect with rural, underserved, underdeveloped, or marginalized communities.
As an incoming freshman, I will be faced with the new difficulty of adjustment that will be especially heightened without the ability to rely on a familiar face. So, if I were able to live down the hall from someone kind, welcoming, and eager to build connections, they would be the ideal hall resident. Just as importantly, the ideal hall resident would be a fan of “The Office”. Having a clever, dry humor to ease the tension of the tough issues that we will be facing is desirable. There is always an immediate relationship that I can build with another individual who shares similar interests in aspects of their life outside of an academic perspective. While an enjoyment of one of the greatest television series is a desired trait, an openness towards diverse interests is an important trait for avoiding any disconnect. Aside from meaningful and uncomfortable conversations, I would thoroughly enjoy engaging in conversations that can range from serious topics to simple moments.
As an incoming freshman, I will be faced with the new difficulty of adjustment that will be especially heightened without the ability to rely on a familiar face. So, if I were able to live down the hall from someone kind, welcoming, and eager to build connections, they would be the ideal hall resident. Just as importantly, the ideal hall resident would be a fan of “The Office”. Having a clever, dry humor to ease the tension of the tough issues that we will be facing is desirable. There is always an immediate relationship that I can build with another individual who shares similar interests in aspects of their life outside of an academic perspective. While an enjoyment of one of the greatest television series is a desired trait, an openness towards diverse interests is an important trait for avoiding any disconnect. Aside from meaningful and uncomfortable conversations, I would thoroughly enjoy engaging in conversations that can range from serious topics to simple moments.
The further I educated myself about the mission of Global Engineering through Evan Thomas’ "Toward a New Field of Global Engineering", the more I admired and respected this program’s mission. I have gained an appreciation for the Global Engineering RAP’s mission to address the root causes of poverty, food insecurity, sanitization issues, and many more problems facing people on scales that extend beyond village-based needs. Through the lens of an advocate for basic human welfare and the environment, I am reassured that the other members within the Global Engineering community have similar aspirations as myself with the goal of tackling the issues that matter. In addition to viewing unsanitary drinking water conditions as a simple issue that requires a new water pump, a member of this program would consider the wealth and resource inequalities that make large scale change difficult, and look for ways to provide long-term change. Similar to myself, the community of this program will feel compelled to support the underserved and exploited. Furthermore, working with a team of engineers, members of a caring community, with a desire to help is impactful, especially for issues of inequality. Immersing myself within a group of individuals who strive to help others resonates as a source of support that I relied heavily on during my Junior year of high school. During that year of high school, I experienced bullying from my school that carried into my life at home. As a result of poor communication, I suffered the consequences of vandalism of my property, foul language through online platforms, and a fear of opening up personally to others. While I was struggling through the insensitivity of bullying, I felt a lack of proper support; however, even though there were people that wanted to help, I understand that the tension still remained. Much like the East African villages that the Global Engineering RAP travels abroad to, these members want to help. The difference is that the root of the issue, an unequal distribution of wealth and resources, a lack of social welfare, and climate change, are taken into account and addressed within this program.
As I study to become an environmental engineer, I know that having the ability to apply my studies outside of a classroom setting and towards issues that truly matter will ensure a more significant college experience. The Global Engineering RAP’s concern regarding environmental health and the effects of climate change disproportionately harming developing countries will surely support my Environmental Engineering studies. I will be able to understand how change can be created from an individual impact, but just as importantly, from a large-scale and far reaching impact. Some of the experiences that I have had in regards to supporting the community include World Affairs Club and YouthRoots. Both of these programs have provided me with the opportunity to innovate creative solutions to support local communities and allocate money towards local nonprofits for the community, respectively. WASH, water, sanitation, and hygiene, were topics that I thoroughly researched during my time in the World Affairs Club. USAID Water and Development wants to improve the conditions of sanitation through the action of increased national budgets and government spending on rural sanitation. This proposal is only the beginning of enacting plausible change. The knowledge and open mindedness that I have in regards to global welfare issues is a valuable trait that I can contribute to this community of global engineers. Philanthropic skills are another element of value that YouthRoots has taught me during my two years of volunteering with them. According to Evan Thomas’ article, the solutions that bring impactful change to a community is promoted through the support of philanthropy. My prior experience of research about global issues and philanthropic values will be an essential contribution that I bring to the table for the Global Engineering RAP.
As I study to become an environmental engineer, I know that having the ability to apply my studies outside of a classroom setting and towards issues that truly matter will ensure a more significant college experience. The Global Engineering RAP’s concern regarding environmental health and the effects of climate change disproportionately harming developing countries will surely support my Environmental Engineering studies. I will be able to understand how change can be created from an individual impact, but just as importantly, from a large-scale and far reaching impact. Some of the experiences that I have had in regards to supporting the community include World Affairs Club and YouthRoots. Both of these programs have provided me with the opportunity to innovate creative solutions to support local communities and allocate money towards local nonprofits for the community, respectively. WASH, water, sanitation, and hygiene, were topics that I thoroughly researched during my time in the World Affairs Club. USAID Water and Development wants to improve the conditions of sanitation through the action of increased national budgets and government spending on rural sanitation. This proposal is only the beginning of enacting plausible change. The knowledge and open mindedness that I have in regards to global welfare issues is a valuable trait that I can contribute to this community of global engineers. Philanthropic skills are another element of value that YouthRoots has taught me during my two years of volunteering with them. According to Evan Thomas’ article, the solutions that bring impactful change to a community is promoted through the support of philanthropy. My prior experience of research about global issues and philanthropic values will be an essential contribution that I bring to the table for the Global Engineering RAP.
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