Fellow Stories
True gap year stories from Fellows abroad!
Check out the latest blogs from Global Citizen Year Fellows in Brazil, Ecuador, and India!
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A Conversation with Justin Moore
Michael Stivers
2010-10-01
On Thursday September 23rd, five of the thirty-three fellows and I got a chance to tell their story in a unique setting. This opportunity arose through StoryCorps, a non-profit organization with the mission of getting everyday people from all backgrounds to interview each other in a relaxed setting (you may have heard StoryCorps segments on...
Read More“When idea and fate meet…”
Gus Ruchman
2010-10-01
John Wood is a confident presence, a role model for public speaking seminars. His dogged conviction and meticulous work ethic have allowed him to transform Room to Read, the non-profit NGO he started after leaving Microsoft, from a simple educational idea into a wildly successful global organization with a budget of tens of millions of...
Read MoreIn Training…
Liza David
2010-10-01
I am sitting in a lecture hall, surrounded by thirty-two new faces. The seat is slightly uncomfortable; I adjust myself. The speaker walks in, is introduced and begins to lecture. As I sit listening to the speaker discuss the concepts of change, development and freedom, I am struck with a strange notion. These are not...
Read MoreReflection
Alberto Servin
2010-10-01
With the GCY training coming to an end, I’ve been reflecting a lot on what I experienced so far. My mind is cluttered with so many memories, but one has really impacted to me these past two weeks. It was last Tuesday, when the Fellows and I ventured into San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. The assignment...
Read MoreIt gets a lot harder before it gets easier
Mariela Garcia
2010-10-01
Back at home, San Jose, California, I held a consistent pace of life that had taken me years to establish. I’d finally adjusted to my community, surroundings, and relationships, but now I’m committed to a seven month experience that will begin as exactly the opposite. It’s a taunting ordeal, getting used to a different setting,...
Read MoreYou don’t have to go Africa to find Inequality
Madeleine Balchan
2010-10-01
I noticed his big toes sticking out of his well-worn shoes. I didn’t ask his name. I was already talking with Eddy, who had a story of his own. Eddy lives with his brother who has HIV. His sister is somehow supporting 10 children, some with child support and some with governmental aid. He recently...
Read MoreI Hope I Prove You Right
Emily Hess
2010-10-01
As I sit in my nearly completely packed up room at IONS, I’m mulling over these past two weeks and wondering to myself what has come over it. I was so afraid upon arrival that I’d be too shy and too withdrawn to enjoy my time here as much as I should. And for a...
Read MoreThis One Goes to 5-3
Erin Lang
2010-10-01
To Room 5-3 and Mrs. Jackson (2009-2010) I want to let you in on a secret. Perfection is not possible. Age is not always an accurate measure of potential or inner strength. And sometimes, failure IS the only option in becoming stronger. For a year, I worked under Mrs. Jackson as your Student Teacher. Although...
Read MoreWhere I’m At
Adam Horowitz
2010-09-30
Adam Horowitz I go off into the world bursting with the potential to personally undergo and affect change. That’s what people say. I was unsure of a lot this past year, specifically whether to go to college. However, these past eleven days have done a lot to renew my faith in my chosen peers and...
Read MoreWhy GCY?
Thomas Linford
2010-09-30
I always get asked the question “why did you do Global Citizen Year?” I’ve come up with some good answers causing nods in my listeners, and other answers that cause my listener to change the subject. I’ve said that Global Citizen Year will better prepare me for college, or that Global Citizen Year would be...
Read MoreVocabulary
Cooper Wright
2010-09-29
These past two weeks have been very vocabulary heavy. Learning about things such as social impact, social development, global development, INGO’s, NGO’s, and so on can be very overwhelming. I found myself overwhelmed by the broad themes of these topics and phrases. However, throughout the two weeks, I have seen clear overlaps in these topics,...
Read MorePerfect Stranger
Naomi Wright
2010-09-29
Having been challenged to find the story of one of the estimated 15,000 people living on the streets of San Francisco as part of “Five Dollar Day,” I chose to sit down next to James. When I saw him hunched against a scraggly tree on the corner of Seventh and Market Street the only things...
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