By Christina Stellini | Resource Development Volunteer
Maureen is a poised and passionate young woman that has overcome significant hurdles in her life. She comes from one of the most renowned slums in the world where residents lack basic necessities and rates of violence are soaring; she lost her single mother at age 6; and she has spent her adolescence growing up at St. Vincent's Rescue Centre. Despite all of this – or perhaps as a result of it – she has found a way to persevere both academically and personally. With support from St. Vincent's, Maureen was admitted three years ago to the United States International University in Nairobi, a terrific accomplishment and life changing event considering that a mere 3% of all girls in Kenya make it to tertiary education.
Maureen has made the most of her education and last year, Maureen's life changed again when she applied and was awarded a full tuition scholarship to study abroad on Semester at Sea. Maureen spent three months aboard a ship with 600+ other students from around the world traveling to 8 countries in Asia and Africa. A true experience of a lifetime. A first for a Kibera resident. Read Maureen's thank you to her supporters below.
It is practically unheard of for children's service organizations in Kenya to provide support for university/college education. St. Vincent's is different. For both our rescue center and scholarship youth, we work hard to help them gain access to university or vocational training opportunities. It is a significant investment (that impacts our budget) but that also has very big payoffs. Maureen is one example of that payoff. Maureen has utilized St. Vincent's support as a launchpad and we are so excited to see all the places she'll go!
Thank you for supporting us to support young people in Kibera to pave their way out of poverty.
Hear Maureen's journey to get on Semester at Sea in this feature story.
----- A MESSAGE FROM MAUREEN ------
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
My experience on Semester at Sea was even more special than I could have imagined. I had the chance to see some beautiful and amazing places. But perhaps the most meaningful part is that I have learned to live with different people and realize the best in them. Now I want to make a difference in this world no matter how small it may seem. I will make sure I am always a stepping-stone to all those in pursuit of there dreams no matter where they come from.
During the voyage, I learned a big lesson from a young boy named Alpha in 2nd grade in Immanuel Orphanage in India. As we were in class the teacher asked if anyone had two pencils to help another boy who had none. Alpha immediately put up his hand and stopped using his small pencil, What he did next took me by surprise. Alpha broke his pencil in half, went to look for a sharpener for it and gave the other half to the boy who had nothing.
Being on the ship alone was an experience on its own, the community and friendships I built are bound to last. The day I boarded the bus to Ensenada, my heart was filled with excitement and so many expectations for Semester at Sea. Everyone around me was visibly anxious to get on the ship. I had just taken a 20hr flight from Nairobi to San Francisco and another from San Francisco to San Diego. During this time I met so many marvelous people and spent time with them. The journey to Semester at Sea was already unleashing unimaginable and fantastic opportunities for me unknowingly! Since the day we boarded the ship my journey has been way above and beyond my expectations. The entire shipboard community "staculty" (staff + faculty), students and life long learners and dependents are all an important part of this voyage. Being on the ship alone is perhaps one of the most fascinating parts of this voyage. I have been able to meet lots of special people from diverse backgrounds. The staculty have been of great assistance. Semester at Sea has already begun posing great challenges for me in the future. Now I want to leave a positive impact on everything I come across. Discovering the reality of how we are all interconnected has been an eye-opener for me. My favorite aspect when on the ship is being able to speak to life long learners. Back in my home campus this group of people do not exist, making it only unique to Semester at Sea. On the ship I also have an extended family, which I really love. We consisted of people from three different continents with entirely diverse backgrounds but on the ship we were one family, both staculty, students and lifelong learners.