From my first day at UMBC, I knew this school had an influential, genuine, and driven President, so I was beyond happy and proud when I saw that our very own President Freeman Hrabowski had been named in Time’s Top 100 Most Influential People in the World. Pause and read that again: not just in this country… but in the whole world. I can definitely attribute part of my leadership drive to having such a stellar example throughout my four years here at UMBC. Seeing someone who is the President of a university reach that level of global recognition for doing good for his community and the world… that is a truly amazing thing. As someone who wants to dedicate my life to helping others, I can only hope that I will one day be able to impact those lives in such an immense way as this.
Right now, it is just one step at a time until I get there… First, to start and finish graduate school, and next to start working in the maternal & child health social work field. And then, after that, to one day start my own non-profit organization to help provide comprehensive reproductive and pregnancy health services to low income and at-risk populations. Every small seed that is planted has the potential to grow into something huge that can reach out and do so much more good than was originally intended. I hope the seed of inspiration I have gained through my studies at UMBC will do just this — grow to one day become a powerful force that will help so many people. My dream to start my own maternal & child health wellness center is just a dream right now, but I have hope that one day it will become a reality. I am sure when President Hrabowski started off, he did not see his dreams growing to this extent, so I hope to follow in that strong example.
I have also found out that I am in the pool of the final six people from which they will select valedictorian. That honor alone makes all the dedication I put into my college career entirely worth it, and there are no words for how happy I am right now because of that honor, but still… I want nothing more than to stand on stage next to President Hrabowski, someone I look up to and value the respect of, and respresent him and the university he stands for as the valedictorian for UMBC’s Class of 2012. That honor — to be placed in the position of a strong leader at my university, while standing next to a strong leader within the world — is one that nothing else would ever be able to replace. That is, of course, unless I one day make it to Time’s Top 100 Most Influential People in the World.
Hey, a girl can dream, can’t she?