By Ebony Thomas, Ford Fellow, Eureka College

As far back as I can remember I have always had a deep passion for helping others, particularly, children in any way possible. I personally feel that this is my calling today more than ever before. Issues such as race and socioeconomic status should not be the deciding factors of whether a child is able to pursue his or her dreams, yet so many times in societies across the world they are. Here in the United States, our inner city youth in particular, face innumerable barriers that stand in their way.

Stereotypes, discrimination, and prejudice of all kinds act, to a certain extent, as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Simply put, since the society surrounding these young people does not expect them to succeed, there is a greater chance they will also begin to believe the same philosophy. This in turn causes the cycle of intergenerational poverty that we see too often and in many instances there is no aid provided that could help these individuals to finally break these oppressive chains. Poverty, in my opinion, is like a disease. It continues to eat away at a person until he or she is too weak to do anything that can make the situation any better unless someone is able to come in and intervene on his or her behalf.

It seems so hypocritical on our part as a nation that so often we tell our children that they can be whatever they want to be when they grow up, yet at the same time we refuse to equip them with the tools needed to do just that. These students need to be given the opportunity to excel. We must teach them the tolerance needed to accept all people for who they are, we must plant in them the seed of self-esteem so they grow up knowing that the sky is truly is the limit, we must educate them so they can successfully go out into the world one day to realistically compete for the jobs of thier dreams, and we must prove to them that they can overcome the desolate situation that they may have been born to. I believe that one way this can be done is to cerate programs that are centered around empowerment in a safe and positive environment. In these locations young people would be goven the opportunity to learn topics that many of us take for granted today such as the proper attire needed for a work interview and how to discover one's true leadership style. I believe that simple techniques, such as these with the right atmosphere over time could truly help children in astounding ways.

This flight does not stop at hoime, though it surpasses all seas that may separate us from one another. My passion is to one day be in a management position working for a non-profit that aids children internationally, and I believe that social and economic development is the key to doing this. As the saying goes, "you can give a man a fish and feed him for a day or you can teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime." One can easily give monetary aid, for example, to help the situation in a thrid-world nation, but the real promise lies in showing these individuals what exactly to do with that aid (e.g. teach them how to invest, start their own business, develop schools, etc.)

Also, having the opportunity to empower women and young girls in these countries so that they harness the potential that each and everyone of them possesses would be simply incredible. I have such an aspiration to learn more about how to successfully create change in all these sectors since many organizations today are doing just that. Fundraising, management, economic development - these are all areas which I would love to learn more about because they are key skills needed in order to keep an organization running strong.

No one deserves to have their dream denied due to the fact that they do not owb enough property or they are not the "preferred" skin color. Equal opportunity should be freely given to all people, yet this is not the case in countless situations. No child deserves to go hungry in a world that is simply saturated in food, no individual deserves to be persecuted due to different religious beliefs, noone should be sentenced to prison without being given the opportunity to have fair trial...this list could go on and on. I would be grateful if I received the opportunity to learn more on how I can personally act as a change agent for those who are impoverished here and around the world.