(Paul) My first trip to South America came in December of 2005, when I was a Freshman at SBHS. At that point I had one semester of Spanish under my belt with Ms. Mercado and was heading to Chile and Peru for the holiday to visit my brother. As a first year, I was barely articulate in any language, but I can distinctly remember successfully bargaining for souvenirs. I continued to study Spanish and spent my Sophomore through Senior-year spring breaks in Mexico building houses, where I also made use my Spanish.

 

Since graduating from SBHS in 2009, I have continued to travel. I lived for the better part of two years in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - first as a student and then working with the United Nations Development Programme - and later I moved to Morocco, where I spent two and a half years with the Peace Corps. The foundation in Spanish that came from my four years at SBHS was a great base from which to begin studying Portuguese. While there weren't the same cognates I could use as a crutch when eventually I began learning Arabic, I had a more important skill to draw on: A tradition of service.

I had many wonderful teachers at SBHS, however, among my favorites are Mrs. Basolo ('93), who I had for English as a Freshman and then AP English and US History as a Junior, and Mr. Rhymes with whom I played sax all four years. Mrs. Basolo made me a better critical thinker and taught me to take pride in my work. She demanded rigor and reflection in every assignment and test and knew when I could do better.

 

Mr. Rhymes has been a life-long interlocutor, mentor, and friend. I took private lessons with him from the 4 ^th Grade on, and he has more embarrassing stories about me than I would care to reveal. It was fun to play in the Camarillo Community Band with him over the summer, this time as a peer.

My Peace Corps service and work with the Social Justice Fund for Ventura County goes back to an idea that I touched on earlier. When I was in Mexico building houses during those spring breaks in high school, I wasn't there to just impose a home on a needy family. We worked alongside the target audience for whom the intervention was intended. Now I certainly was in no position to teach anyone how to build a house, but the contractors who came with us could.

 

The distinction that I am trying to draw is about sustainability. It's impossible to build a home for everyone who needs one, however, by focusing on capacity building ("teach a man to fish and he'll fish for a lifetime") you can create a ripple effect. One person builds a home, they in turn can make repairs and teach others to build homes of their own. Neither the US Government nor local non-profits, like the Social Justice Fund for Ventura County, have infinite resources to build hospitals in developing countries or hire lawyers for every person detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. By focusing on capacity building instead, limited resources can be more effective brought to bear: the US Government can train doctors and SJFVC can give Know Your Rights presentations.

 

I was inspired to join the Peace Corps because of John F. Kennedy's famous inaugural address in which he exhorted all generations of Americans to service. Kennedy was a Catholic and he later founded the Peace Corps. In those early days, international development was mostly about countering Communism, however, the Agency perseveres because fundamentally when we all do better, we all do better. Creating economic opportunities for people abroad isn't a zero-sum game for US taxpayers. Peace Corps has ripple effects all over the world, as people who might not normally have access to decent education, are able to rise above their station in life. Access to education means you are less likely die young, and are more likely to get a job. When people have jobs they are less prone to crime and are more likely to buy US goods and services. When people are able to enjoy some stability in their lives the world is a peaceful place.

Working in the Youth Development sector, meant I had a lot of free rein to do whatever I wanted. My biggest project during my Peace Corps service was a curriculum called Creating Leadership in the Mountains and Beyond (CLIMB). Over the course of six-months, I paired the current generation of youth leaders in my tiny village in Morocco with the up-and-coming generation of youth leaders. We had classroom sessions where we learned about leadership, teambuilding, and environmental stewardship. Then we'd get out of the classroom and go on increasingly difficult hikes.

 

These hikes were opportunities for my students to learn about wilderness medicine and, as opposed to the incredibly hierarchical nature of education in Morocco, have an opportunity to share their interests and passions. The program culminated in a three-day hike to summit and descend Mt. Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa at 4,000 meters.

 

My proudest moment actually came just before this last hike. One of my students, Nisrine, a 13-year old girl, was excelling in the class. When I selected her for the program there was no guarantee that she would be able to do it; Nisrine has a physical disability, she is a little person. However, she never let her disability hold her back and she demonstrated incredible strength and resolve. However, shortly before our final hike, Nisrine stopped coming to class. I learned that her father, an Imam or religious official, was embarrassed about her disability and didn't want her go. I went to see him and begged for him to allow Nisrine to go, even offering to do Nisrine's chores and work in his fabric store. I pleaded with him in Arabic, enumerating the benefits of her participation, lauding her strength, and using the language of the Quran to bless the Imam and his family. Eventually he relented and Nisrine climbed Mt. Toubkal.

Approach everything that you do with a mindset of humility and willingness to be of service. Hopefully, you will have many opportunities to go abroad, but when you do, go with a sense of curiosity and eagerness to learn more about the culture of the place you're visiting and respect for their customs and traditions. Be open to trying new things!