Global Citizen Scholar Plan
Mission Statement
I am driven by deep beliefs in altruism, knowledge, and passion. I pursue these passions by utilizing my core strengths of Input, Developer, and Ideation. I plan to live out these values through opportunities where I am initiating and enhancing to achieve innovation and sustainability that impacts the environment and under-represented groups. To do so, I will seek opportunities to make analysis-driven changes and develop new technology. When I face challenges along the way, I will remember to maintain a hopeful outlook and find opportunities for self discovery.
Action Plan
My career in Environmental Engineering will be focused on achieving the goals of sustainability and innovation in the world. However, it is important to realize that these passions can be pursued even as a student; working people are not the only ones capable of making a positive impact. Altruism as a value is heavily linked to my passion for sustainability and healthy environments because the well-being of others is contingent on a safe living environment. Disadvantaged and marginalized communities face much higher rates of pollution and contamination. Low income communities experience higher pollution-related mortality rates, though they have much lower carbon footprints. These realities shock and outrage me.
One way I can work even as a student to help address these issues is through community engagement. I can work to make communities more healthy and safe by working with volunteer organization. I have worked with Clean Up Cincy to reduce litter in Cincinnati communities, and I plan to look into more community engagement opportunities addressing similar issues locally. I also work with Engineers Without Borders to bring safe water to people in the community of Roche, Tanzania and other communities. I am the chair of the Roche committee and will be traveling in August to implement a clean water pipeline to one of the schoolhouses. This project strongly aligns with my mission statement because it is a sustainable system that improves the quality of life of hundreds of people.
I know my goals can't be something so expansive as "solving the world's climate change problem" or something along those lines. My goal is to do good work in my career that matches my beliefs. This task will require sustained, focused reflection. It's hard to know if you're doing the right thing for the right reasons if you aren't assessing your actions and how your values do or do not mesh with them. I plan to set aside time at least once in a work week to ask myself meaningful questions on what I am doing and why. This will allow me to understand what is not meeting my personal standards and how I can make positive changes.