We have chosen our first Fellow of the Harris Wofford Global Service Fellowship: 18-year-old Sasha of Boston, Massachusetts!  Throughout her volunteer trip, Sasha will be sharing her thoughts about her experience abroad on United Planet’s online community blog. We wanted to share her first blog post with you, and the story behind this exciting new fellowship!               

Before attending Northeastern University in the fall, Sasha will embark on a 10-day United Planet Quest to Costa Rica, compliments of United Planet.  She remarks on her blog:

I am so excited to leave for Costa Rica in just 10 days! I am so nervous since this is the first time that I will be traveling abroad alone. Previously, I have been a part of service learning trips in the Dominican Republic and in Honduras with ten other people, but I’ve never traveled alone.

I know that my nervousness and anxiety is natural and it is something that I must get over since it is my dream to become a global citizen. I was chosen for this opportunity, and unlike others I won this scholarship so I just know that volunteering in Costa Rica is in my path of becoming a humanitarian.

The three things that I most look forward to are 1) having fun with the children 2) eating some great Costa Rican food and 3) really getting a taste of the Costa Rican culture and history through the arts (like song, dance and visual arts).

As our first Fellow, Sasha is incredibly excited to have been chosen to be part of this unique and brand-new fellowship.  Implemented with support from the entire Building Bridges Coalition (BBC)—a consortium of leading international volunteering organizations, corporations, academic institutions and government agencies working collaboratively to double the number of volunteers serving abroad—The Harris Wofford Global Service Fellowship was created in an effort to effectively increase the number of international volunteers who serve abroad each year.

The Harris Wofford Global Service Fellowship offers individuals, (such as Sasha), the unique opportunity to participate in an international volunteer program after a thorough application process. Named in recognition of a true service leader in our country, selected Fellows receive a full or partial fellowship which covers 50%-100% of their program fee.

As a founding member of the Building Bridges Coalition, United Planet has chosen to offer a 100% free volunteer Quest to Sasha, our first Fellow.

To learn more about the Building Bridges Coalition and the Global Service Fellowship visit http://www.buildingbridgescoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/bbc-harris-wofford-fellows-form.pdf.

Stay tuned for more from our Fellow, Sasha, as she embarks on her first United Planet Quest to Costa Rica!