Reflection on Global Scholars Program

The Global Scholars Program has offered me immense opportunities and greatly influenced my academic career at Poly. From applying to and being accepted into the program last year, to starting to formulate ideas for this academic year nine months ago, to finalizing and presenting my grant proposal, the program has been not only a constant reminder of my responsibility to the world but also a channel through which I can fulfill that responsibility. The weekly Seminar, the Global Scholars events, my peers’ projects insights, and my own work on the grant proposal project have all been crucial for my development as a global thinker, student, and doer. Most of all, perhaps, has been the program’s ability to push me to reframe my own ideals and analyze them within their Western contexts. Both within the program and outside of it, I have taken it upon myself to read and engage with more writers from places outside of the United States, particularly writers from places that have historically not had a place in the Western canon.


Though theorizing and conversing with my peers has been of great reward, praxis has remained in our sights. I am most proud of my work on my grant proposal, which I wrote on behalf of Reading Partners, a national literacy nonprofit. By synthesizing my personal experience with the organization and Reading Partners students, the perspectives of employees and longtime volunteers, and the literature surrounding education and diversity in children’s books, I believe I crafted a thoughtful and impactful grant proposal; thankfully, it was also one that the panelists believed in and that received full funding, for which I am enormously appreciative.


As I emphasized in my grant proposal and in my presentation about it to the Poly community, this project would not have been possible without the guidance of our program directors here at Poly, Ms. Diederich and Mr. Caragher, administrative support, financial support from the Global Scholars endowment, and the advice and help from everyone affiliated with Reading Partners. Similarly, I want to thank my peers, who questioned, challenged, and expanded my understanding of the various ideas with which we have engaged this year. The Global Scholars program has truly been a collective effort, an effort of which I am grateful to have been a part.

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