In 2004 I graduated from The American University of Paris
with a Comparative Literature degree. When I left AUP I went
on to become the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the
nonprofit organization the Global Volunteer Network
Foundation (GVN Foundation), an organization that has raised
over $600,000 to assist thousands of children in Peru,
Tanzania, Costa Rica, Kenya, Vietnam, Uganda, South Africa,
Ethiopia, and Nepal.
AUP was critical in my development and is, without a
doubt, one of the reasons I have gone on to achieve my
dreams of assisting the world’s poor and disenfranchised.
AUP’s Comparative Literature degree taught me how to think
critically, write persuasively, understand how cultures
interact and, most importantly, AUP’s rigorous course
structures academic standards bolstered my self confidence.
AUP’s gifted professors teach you how to deconstruct an
idea or argument into its individual parts and to analyze
those parts thoroughly. This is a skill I have used
countless times in my professional life. It is a skill that
is especially useful when preparing for our organization’s
quarterly board meetings. Every few months I have to prepare
a detailed report for our Board of Directors. This means
looking at the ‘big picture’ of our organization, where we
are going, what we have accomplished, etc., while also
taking note of details that have, or could affect, where we
are headed. Analyzing a work of fiction for major themes and
then tracing those themes through the identification of
detail and metaphor is how I initially developed my
analytical skills.
The most important skill I gained at AUP was an ability
to write persuasively. When I first began with the GVN
Foundation I had to write our website text and all of our
grant reports. Being able to clearly and concisely
articulate the programs and fundraising opportunities we
provide has been crucial to the success of our organization.
Additionally, I recently completed our organization’s
application to the United Nations for consultative status.
This application required I clearly articulate GVN
Foundation’s mission and convince the reader that our
organization would be a perfect partner for the United
Nations. The UN has accepted the application and is in the
initial review process – this is again a testament to my
professors at AUP who taught me to write clearly and
persuasively.
I grew up in Denver, Colorado and was not exposed to
people from other cultures and languages. Moving to France
and studying each day at AUP with people from various
countries opened my eyes both to the differences between
cultures and the communication challenges inherent in those
differences. Learning to recognize how cultural differences
affect a person’s ability to communicate with someone of
another culture has been invaluable in my current position.
Almost every day I communicate with one of our partners from
Vietnam, Kenya, Nepal, or Uganda. Due to my time at AUP I am
able to articulate myself in such a way that they can better
understand my position. Additionally, my staff is made up of
individuals from all over the world: South Africa, Scotland,
USA, New Zealand, and Australia. Even though we all speak
the same language, cultural differences and accents still
affect our ability to communicate with each other
effectively. Once again, thanks to my time at AUP, I have an
aptitude for understanding and clearly communicating with
individuals from different countries and often facilitate
discussions or moderate disagreements in my office.
Finally, studying in Paris at AUP bolstered my
self-confidence exponentially. The courses at AUP are
rigorous and the professors expect, and tease, the best from
you. My writing improved; my ability to interpret text
improved too; but, more importantly, I started to expect
more of myself. When someone expects a great deal of you, as
AUP professors do, I find you begin to expect more of
yourself.
The rigorous course structure of AUP, the enthusiasm and
dedication of the professors, combined with the hustle and
bustle of living in a large, beautiful, foreign city like
Paris, gave me a confidence I had never had before. This
confidence carried me to New Zealand and through the first
tumultuous years of starting a new nonprofit organization. I
would not be where I am today, living my dream, without the
skills and confidence I gained as a student at AUP. |
