Hi, my name is Madison Beresford, and I am a high school senior. Like many of my peers, I’m pursuing a schedule of AP and Honors classes, college applications, athletics, and part-time work. Also, I’m working on my senior year Capstone Project. The Capstone Project at Upper Arlington High School requires seniors to investigate a topic that relates to our ideal career path, and it culminates in the creation of a research paper, and a final product that represents what we have learned.

For me, this is an opportunity to explore my own future, but also to explore the world and to share what I find with my peers. Everywhere I’ve gone in my life, I’ve used photography to capture the excitement of places and cultures that might have previously seemed foreign and unreachable. I’ve learned that photography can bring these experiences closer to the people I know at home. And that ultimately, photography can bring people around the world closer to each other. Also, after 5 years of studying Spanish in a classroom, and with an interest in foreign affairs, I want to immerse myself in a Spanish-speaking environment.

In December, I plan to travel to Costa Rica for my Capstone Project.  My mom will accompany me. We will explore the country’s tremendous biodiversity and the sustainability of the landscape, as well as the everyday life of contemporary Costa Ricans. In particular, we will visit the United Nations’ SOS Children’s Villages, the Parque Nacional, the Volcano Arenal and Monteverde, and the La Fortuna Orphanage in San Jose.  I have estimated my expenses, including airfare, lodging, food and transportation, at approximately $4,200.

If you have the means to help in anyway, it would be greatly appreciated. Any amount, no matter how small, brings me one step closer to making my aspirations for this project become a reality.