"You're going WHERE?"

Africa.

Last fall I was awarded a Cultural Ambassadorial Scholarship from the Rotary Foundation to spend 3 months in Dakar, Senegal. I am sponsored by the Bloomington Rotary Club and District 6490 in Illinois. My hosts in Senegal are the Rotary Club Doyen of Dakar and District 9100 in West Africa. The purpose of scholarships like mine is to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of countries around the world.

As a Cultural Scholar, the focus of my scholarship is to immerse myself in the culture of my host country through language study and a homestay. I will be living with a family in Dakar while studying French and Wolof (a local language) at the Baobab Center of African Consultants International. I will also give presentations to Rotary clubs in Senegal, participate in Rotary activities, and lend a hand to projects that my host club is sponsoring. I look forward to spending whatever "free time" I have exploring the city of Dakar as well as volunteering my time with local organizations (in the past, scholars have started a school lunch program at a local elementary school, volunteered at a local orphanage, etc).

My scholarship covers a 3 month period. I leave for Dakar on September 14th, and my language classes will wrap-up around December 17th. I have extended by "come-home" date by a few months in order to spend additional time in Senegal hopefully continuing work I begin during my scholarship period. My goal is to be able to spend about 3 months working with an organization in Senegal that focuses on poverty alleviation through emphasis on women's rights and education, and/or basic health care.

I cannot begin to describe how blessed I feel by being given this award. I truly appreciate all the help and inspiration that I have received during the past year beginning the moment my application process began.