Applying Knowledge on an International Level
Being born and raised in the Philippines has made my experience within the Human Services and Social Justice major especially meaningful. Throughout my life I have witnessed extreme poverty, the effects of corruption and other dark realities of developing countries such as the Philippines. The things I have seen and the stories of the people I have met throughout my life have weighted on me tremendously. I feel the need and have the passion to help these people and my country.
I transferred to GW my sophomore year specifically for the Human Services Major. I have always known I wanted spend my life helping people and I knew that this program would better prepare me to do that. I had the opportunity to work and volunteer in several incredible non-profits in DC. I have also learned how to write grant applications, design research for program evaluations and conduct planning.
This Senior Capstone class, The Inspire Up Foundation specifically, has taught me the importance of structure and organization. In the Philippines, non-profits do not have the same requirements and structure as in the United States. This in turn leads to disorganized and unsustainable non-profits. Many organizations in the Philippines are disorganized and are not able to be effective and make a difference. Being a part of the Inspire Up Foundation, awarding funds, and reviewing the various grant proposals has helped me realize the importance of having an adequate process in place. Grant writing gives organizations the opportunity to communicate their mission, structure and use of funds. This increases transparency and creates accountability, thereby enabling funding since it is clear what the funds will be utilized for. Receiving funding is essential and allows these organizations to grow and increase their positive impact.
One day, I hope to return to the Philippines and leverage what I have learned from this program in order to create a reputable and sustainable non-profit. I also want to help existing non-profits to implement a higher level of structure and organization in order to increase their impact.
