by givebackdv | Oct 17, 2022 | Scholars
Bitten by the ice of the alpine winds, their feet sloshed through the puddled volcanic gravel in the dead of night. The fiery roar of Volcan de Fuego sounded off in the distance. Deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. It had been two days since they began their trek and the journey’s end was within sight. As they reached the summit, the sun at last began to peak from behind the clouded sky, casting its brilliant rays across the breathtaking scenery.
This past summer, Northern Illinois University sophomore and Give Back Scholar Ethan Gonzalez spent some time relaxing and recharging–and reaching mountaintops–in his father’s hometown in Guatemala. He traveled there in June with his father and brother, and stayed with his uncle who led them on a host of adventures throughout the country.
Ethan kept busy during his two week stay with trips to the Mayan ruins of Tikal, hikes to the hidden pools in Lanquin where he swam in their crystal waters, and down-time spent soaking up the sun at the beach. He even put his Music Education and Vocal Performance studies to good use by serenading his grandparents with an Italian Aria.
A fervent proponent of walking and being in nature, Ethan treasured his scenic experiences during his summer travels, some of which he said were physically taxing but mentally and emotionally rewarding. His most gratifying experience was his journey climbing one of Guatemala’s most famous volcanoes, Volcan Acatenango.
“It was a thrill to climb this 13,000 foot-tall volcano with my dad and brother by my side,” said Ethan. “It was a challenge going through the rain and frigid winds near the summit, but it paid off with a victory lap around the crater once we reached the top!”
A rewarding and centering experience, Ethan’s journey on Volcan Acatenango opened his eyes to the powerful practice of breathwork, and it reminded him to always take a break and appreciate the beauty that surrounds you.
With the new school year in full swing and students across the country trading in their tank tops and towels for backpacks and binders, remembering to take a step back and recenter yourself is more important now than ever. Whether you are an incoming freshman or pursuing a master’s degree, practicing self-care year-round is paramount to success in all aspects of life.
“College can be very stressful, but having the opportunity to stay in tune with nature and taking a step back has made me realize that I have made it very far as a person,” said Ethan. “Last year as a freshman I had to go through a lot of self-growth and learn a lot more about myself than I already knew. I am focusing on myself and not worrying about what others are thinking about me. I’m the one that’s responsible for doing what I love and setting myself up for success. I’ve learned that there are going to be many volcanoes in our lifetimes. But once you reach the top, you feel weightless.”
by givebackdv | Sep 23, 2022 | Scholars
Between museum hopping, pub exploring, and petting the late queen’s royal horses, Gracie Traviño kept busy this summer on her study abroad trip to London. The ten-day excursion in June was an end-of-year opportunity awarded to students who completed the accompanying History of the British Empire course at Lewis University in Illinois — and it marked the first time that Gracie, a British history aficionado, traveled to the country that fuels her passion for history.
A Give Back scholar and junior at Lewis, Gracie juggles a busy schedule as a double major in History and Theology, and a Donnelly Grant Intern working on preserving Joliet-era history in the university’s Adelmann Regional History Collection. Through her studies, Gracie intends to pursue a PhD in History, with a concentration in the British or Latin Empire, to ultimately teach at the collegiate level.
Her fervor for history, and Britain, ignited when she was just six years old and has continued to swell over the years. Studying everything from the Prohibition to Spanish Morocco and in between, Gracie is fascinated with learning about how people justify their actions, and is inspired by such prominent figures as the late Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria — both of whom taught her that you don’t have to be a man to run an empire. So when she learned of the opportunity to take a course that aligned with her passions and allowed her to travel abroad, she was elated.
“It was really exciting to travel to England, especially after everything I learned in the class about the history of the empire,” said Gracie.
Gracie was accompanied by eight of her peers and the course professor on the trip. Together, they visited a host of museums and galleries, seeing such marvels as Rafael’s paintings and the Elgin Marbles; attended a Westminster Parliament session; talked to the locals about political issues; experienced pub life; spent some quality time with the late queen’s horses; and much more.
“I think it’s important to have these types of experiences because they are very eye-opening,” she added. “It’s important to see the world and see things for how they really are. You’ll learn that people really aren’t as different as you think they are.”
Officially her favorite class of her academic career thus far, the History of the British Empire course offered Gracie a unique opportunity to experience, first-hand, a culture that plays such a meaningful role in her long-term career and educational endeavors. Now that she is back home and more inspired than ever, she plans to continue working toward her goals in academia, while making sure to carve out some time in her bustling schedule to join a few different clubs, make new friends, and do some of the things she loves best — like reading Tolkien, playing piano, painting her nails, and spending quality time with her family.
by givebackdv | Sep 9, 2022 | Scholars
Amidst the chaos of finals, an ongoing global pandemic, and preparing for the new school year, relaxing your mind and recharging your batteries is not always a walk in the park. But prioritizing your mental health and making time for the things you enjoy most is essential for your overall success and wellbeing.
This summer, Give Back scholar Deborah Hawj spent time recharging and de-stressing with her family on an action-packed trip through Georgia and South Carolina. A rising freshman at Baker University in Kansas, Deborah flew from her hometown in Kansas City to meet her relatives in Atlanta, Georgia. Together, they traveled to South Carolina, where they spent time tubing, trail walking in Greenville, hiking at Pretty Place, and swimming at Myrtle Beach.
“I’ve never been to the beach before so it was really fun,” said Deborah. “The moments we spent there were precious. All the laughter and smiles–they’re memories that I won’t forget.”
While she’s been to Georgia before for family reunions, this was the first time that Deborah was able to spend some time there sightseeing and going on new adventures with the people she loves most. And between working at Panera and getting ready for her first year at college, this little getaway was the perfect summertime remedy for her mental health in preparation for the busy year to come.
“I usually try to spend as much time as I can having fun during my summer break to prepare for school, and spending time with my friends and family is the best way that I can relax,” Deborah added. “But I’m looking forward to making new friends in college this September, and being able to end the semester well and pursue my dreams.”
Whether it’s building sandcastles, trekking through the forest, or binge watching her favorite action-packed Netflix series, Deborah always makes sure to set aside time for herself and her mental health during the summer to recharge her batteries for a fun and successful year to come.
Let us know how you relaxed and recharged this summer by using the hashtag #GiveBackRecharge on social media! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay in the loop on all things Give Back.
by givebackdv | Aug 5, 2022 | Scholars
Earlier this summer, Alexandria Wilson traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to attend a two-week intensive academic, community, and field experience where students from across the country learned about issues pertaining to social justice and inequity, particularly for people living in poverty and on the margins.
When we spoke to Alexandria about her experience, she said, “It was a very full-circle moment for my life, because I learned [a lot about the civil rights movement] outside of school — and some of it in school — but to see [those places in person] was something I could never imagine me being able to do if my university hadn’t sponsored me to go to the trip.”
Alexandria was able to visit the Lorraine Motel, the site of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, among other historically important sites. She said her family is from down south, so she could have been standing in the very spot where her ancestors were sold into slavery. “I cried — it was very emotional,” she said.
Alexandria is a Give Back Scholar attending Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, and she was selected to participate in the program by the McLaughlin Social Justice Institute of Lasallian Practice.
Her favorite part of the trip, she said, was fostering a community of people she met in the program. “I feel like I made lifelong friends,” she said. People who are interested in the same things.
Together, they spent time working with Catholic Charities to pack meals for those in need. Alexandria explained that the trip was split into two sessions and they “competed” to see who could pack more meals. (Alexandria’s group beat the record set by the first session.) “To know that I was giving my time for the greater good and for a bigger cause than myself was very powerful for me,” she said.
This fall, Alexandria will be entering her senior year at Lewis University, where she plans to finish up her double major in Paralegal Studies and Peace & Justice Studies — with a minor in Political Science and a pre-law concentration. Her #1 goal coming out of university is to move on to law school, and her ultimate dream is to one day become a judge. But before that happens, she’d love to work as an attorney for the public defender’s office — standing up for the “little guy.”
When asked what receiving the Give Something Back scholarship has meant to her, Alexandria said, “The Give Something Back scholarship has allowed me to take on things that I never expected I would do. […] Give Something Back allowed me to believe in myself and see that I am worthy.”
When it comes to giving back after graduation, Alexandria said she wants to start her own small mentorship program to mentor kids who are interested in a career in law. She explained that getting into college is hard, but navigating graduate-level programs can be just as daunting, if not more so.
She’d also love to branch out by starting a scholarship of her own. She has a couple ideas on the types of students she’d like to give scholarships to and for what purposes. Specifically: helping students afford LSAT prep. Alexandria said it can be expensive, and she doesn’t want the Law School Admissions Test to keep anyone from reaching their dream of becoming a lawyer or judge.
Alexandria will have plenty of time to think about how she’d like to give back over the next few years, and we’re sure it will be on her mind a lot.
She said, “In the future, giving back is definitely my top priority. Giving back to every organization that has given to me. But I don’t have everything planned out…yet!”
Good luck with your final year of undergrad, Alexandria! We can’t wait to see where you go from here!
by givebackdv | Nov 17, 2021 | Scholars
We recently spoke with an exceptional Give Back Scholar named Lay Mu.
Lay is a Give Something Back Scholar currently attending Northern Illinois University. There, he plans to study nursing so that one day he can help people for a living. He is glad to be attending university in the United States — he says that where he is from “education lacks meaning and you can’t use it for anything.”
Lay is referring to the Karen refugee camp where he was born. The Karen are an ethnic group who are originally from southern Burma/Myanmar — though Lay’s family is part of a group who were forced to migrate to a refugee camp in Thailand.
The story of the Karen people was recently told through an art exhibition at Northern Illinois University — put together by their Center for Burma Studies. The exhibition’s full title was, The Art of Surviving: The Journey of the Karen Refugees in Illinois and ran from August 24 through November 12, 2021.
Lay told us his favorite part of the exhibit was a reduced-scale model of a house built by the Karen people. Lay assisted the artists with recreating the house to be similar to the one he used to live in. “The exhibit gives a voice to all the Karen refugees out there and what is currently happening to them,” Lay said.
Lay is very appreciative of the Give Something Back scholarship that has allowed him to attend NIU. “The moment I opened the letter, windows of opportunity opened and I had hope for my future,” he said.
Though he has big plans for that future, Lay is currently focusing on school. And he would advise other students to do the same: “Work hard on your studies. Life might seem to go slow, but believe it or not, it goes very fast. So go out there and learn and better yourself — and always give back.”
—
Thank you for sharing your journey with us, Lay. We look forward to seeing your hard work pay off in the years to come!
by givebackdv | Aug 20, 2021 | Scholars
We recently spoke with a wonderful Give Back Scholar named Callie Walsh.
Callie Walsh is a Give Something Back Scholar from Lisle Senior High School, where she is involved in several clubs and organizations. She is the president of the Lisle High School Thespians Troupe as well as the Art Club, and also served as the director for a mental health and drug abuse awareness program called “Operation Snowball.” She said her biggest pastime is volunteering, and she is a teen leader through a local group called “Lisle Teens with Character.”
Like others her age, Callie enjoys hanging out with friends. She also loves to paint, and is currently working on an art portfolio about the future of energy. Her guilty pleasure is Star Trek — in fact, she recently visited the “future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk” in Riverside, Iowa.
“Education is very important to me and my family, so naturally, I’ve always known I wanted to go to college. What I didn’t know was how I was going to do it. Life was not always kind to my family. When I was in the fifth grade, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. As I was the only other one in the household, I would help her get dressed and do other chores around the house. My mother, being the role model she is, stayed strong, and despite still suffering from chronic illnesses today, she IS cancer-free. In the seventh grade, my father went to jail for driving under the influence, which was very hard for me. I learned that this wasn’t even his first time being incarcerated.”
“I never allowed myself to dream of going to a four-year university because my family never had much money. I told myself I would live at home and go to community college for two years, all dependent on, of course, how much money I could save up. When I got the letter that I was accepted as a Give Something Back scholar, my entire world opened up. I could actually go off to college like my friends; I could stay in a dorm like all the girls do in the movies.”
Callie hopes to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign next year to study agricultural and biological engineering. She would love to study abroad and participate in different types of research and internships.
“University of Illinois has so much to offer me and I could not be more excited to pursue a degree there. After college, I hope to travel and see the world. None of this could be possible without the Give Something Back scholarship. Thank you again, Mr. Carr, for everything. I am so honored to be a Mary Francis Carr award recipient.”
—
Thank you for sharing your journey with us, Callie. We look forward to seeing your hard work pay off in the years to come!
