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Hello all:
My name is Johnny Kim, and I am a sophomore in Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business (MSB) studying finance and international affairs through the Global Business Fellows Program with the School of Foreign Service.
Over the past two years, I have had the privilege to travel to close to a dozen countries across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. As I explored each of these different places away from Georgetown, I was repeatedly reminded of the unjust realities of the world and developed a sense of duty to address its pressing needs. As an individual driven by social justice, I have decided to devote my career to international development. Development can include different types of work, but I am drawn specifically to sustainable investing that effectively alleviates poverty in developing countries.
Fortunately, I was able to find the perfect opportunity for this coming summer. GU Impacts, a program under Georgetown's Beeck Center for Social Impact & Innovation, allows students to participate in a 10-week internship focused on social innovation at organizations abroad. This year GU Impacts has selected two students (including myself) to travel to Lima, Peru to work for Yanbal International, a cosmetics company with a strong social impact mission. It employs the micro-entrepreneurship model similar to that of the cosmetics company Avon Products, Inc., in which the company empowers poor women in largely patriarchal societies as sales consultants who sell beauty products under the supervision of an educational director. Yanbal, now among the top 15 ranked companies in the Direct Sales Association and with business operations in 11 countries in Latin America and Europe, has been recognized for its crucial role in the countries' economic development.
But HERE IS THE PROBLEM. The Beeck Center has been planning for 2016 GU Impacts funding sources to include support from MSB for its students who were accepted into the fellowship program. This expectation was based on conversations with MSB representatives, as well as on the program's experience securing financial support from MSB in 2015. However, we recently received the news that the MSB is unable to provide discretionary financial support to its students who have been selected as 2016 GU Impacts Fellows.
In light of this news, I am exploring solutions to help offset program costs, which total at around $4,500 for orientation, research, flight, housing, food, visa, vaccines, in-country medical expenses, and transportation. I am working closely with the Beeck Center, Yanbal, and private sponsors to secure partial coverage where possible, but even then, I would still fall approximately $1,750 short of the $4,500. I need to raise this amount by April 15--otherwise, I may be out of options to fund my participation in the fellowship.
Being able to participate in GU Impacts would mean so much to me because my decision to accept my offer from GU Impacts represents a time I fended off the temptation to seek a lucrative internship chosen by many students around me and followed my heart to determine what aligns most with my personal values.
Donations of any amount are appreciated. For any questions, please feel free to message me on Facebook or email me at [email redacted].
Thank you!
My name is Johnny Kim, and I am a sophomore in Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business (MSB) studying finance and international affairs through the Global Business Fellows Program with the School of Foreign Service.
Over the past two years, I have had the privilege to travel to close to a dozen countries across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. As I explored each of these different places away from Georgetown, I was repeatedly reminded of the unjust realities of the world and developed a sense of duty to address its pressing needs. As an individual driven by social justice, I have decided to devote my career to international development. Development can include different types of work, but I am drawn specifically to sustainable investing that effectively alleviates poverty in developing countries.
Fortunately, I was able to find the perfect opportunity for this coming summer. GU Impacts, a program under Georgetown's Beeck Center for Social Impact & Innovation, allows students to participate in a 10-week internship focused on social innovation at organizations abroad. This year GU Impacts has selected two students (including myself) to travel to Lima, Peru to work for Yanbal International, a cosmetics company with a strong social impact mission. It employs the micro-entrepreneurship model similar to that of the cosmetics company Avon Products, Inc., in which the company empowers poor women in largely patriarchal societies as sales consultants who sell beauty products under the supervision of an educational director. Yanbal, now among the top 15 ranked companies in the Direct Sales Association and with business operations in 11 countries in Latin America and Europe, has been recognized for its crucial role in the countries' economic development.
But HERE IS THE PROBLEM. The Beeck Center has been planning for 2016 GU Impacts funding sources to include support from MSB for its students who were accepted into the fellowship program. This expectation was based on conversations with MSB representatives, as well as on the program's experience securing financial support from MSB in 2015. However, we recently received the news that the MSB is unable to provide discretionary financial support to its students who have been selected as 2016 GU Impacts Fellows.
In light of this news, I am exploring solutions to help offset program costs, which total at around $4,500 for orientation, research, flight, housing, food, visa, vaccines, in-country medical expenses, and transportation. I am working closely with the Beeck Center, Yanbal, and private sponsors to secure partial coverage where possible, but even then, I would still fall approximately $1,750 short of the $4,500. I need to raise this amount by April 15--otherwise, I may be out of options to fund my participation in the fellowship.
Being able to participate in GU Impacts would mean so much to me because my decision to accept my offer from GU Impacts represents a time I fended off the temptation to seek a lucrative internship chosen by many students around me and followed my heart to determine what aligns most with my personal values.
Donations of any amount are appreciated. For any questions, please feel free to message me on Facebook or email me at [email redacted].
Thank you!
Organizer
Johnny Kim
Organizer