I am fluent in French and beginning to learn Spanish.  I have gone on an exchange with French students to the North of France as well as Paris. 
My whole life I have known that I wanted to pursue a career that would make a global change.  I first realized I had a passion for global change in 6th grade. I decided to raise money for mosquito nets in Sudan where malaria was rife.  I may have only acquired a meager $200 but that $200 would disseminate up to 50 mosquito nets. The fact that I helped people I had never met gave me a feeling of warmth and only fueled my desire to help others. The Global Initiatives Program at Poly will really help me pursue my passions in global initiatives.  I'd like to learn more about world issues and help solve them with my peers.
My experience at Seeds of Peace and a variety of different schools has allowed me to become in touch with many different cultures and ethnic backgrounds.  I started my schooling at a generic American public school then went on to attend French immersion school where I really became involved and in love with the French culture. After six years at the French immersion school, I went to a public school in Beverly Hills where I was surrounded by Persian Jews.  This situation allowed me to explore the Persian culture as well as the Jewish culture. I attended many Bar and Bat Mitzvahs as well as family dinners with those peers where I learned both about Jewish and Persian traditions. Finally I came to Poly. At Poly, I have really discovered my identity and have become aware of others’ identities I have never heard of before.  I was able to explore new religions through GIP scholars in the past. I have also been able to explore Global issues such as climate change on a macro level through past GIP Scholars as well. I hope to have the same impact that those previous GIP Scholars had on me on others. The resources Poly provides us allows students to delve into our global passions.
My time at Seeds of Peace had probably the most influential impact on my interest in global initiatives.  At Seeds, I met Africans who only recently moved to America. I met Muslims whose family forced them to flee their country to reside in America alone.  I meant students from Syracuse who walk into the school everyday with a fear of a stabbing or shooting. I met immigrants who live in New York that fear deportation.  The exposure to all these different situations has inspired me in a way that I cannot put into words. All these people helped me realize where my true passion lies: and that is in global change.
The global initiatives program at Poly will allow me to further delve into my passion a full pool change. It will provide me of with resources to find global projects. it'll also allow me to reach with to reach the people in my community and inspired them to participate in global initiatives as well. I hope that this program will allow me to learn even more than I already have and use that information to make an impact on people around the world. although I've always had this intrinsic need to make a global change I only think my passion will bloom in the Global Initiatives Program.