There is a world of difference between viewing the Pacific as “islands in a far sea” and as “a sea of islands.” (Epeli Hau‘ofa, Our Sea of Islands)
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Growing up in Los Angeles, I was accustomed to living in a diverse hotpot of ethnicities where every street had multiple authentic family run restaurants. Moving to Boston, although still diverse, the type of diversity was different. Boston’s diversity came primarily from the many college campuses that call Boston home, bringing in students from all parts of the world. This summer, I had the opportunity to travel to Singapore and see for myself how the Singaporean diversity differed even more from both the Boston and Los Angeles diversities I had come to know and love.
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Ecotourism is a form of tourism that is primarily done with the objective of experiencing natural landscapes and observing wildlife, and is intended to support conservation efforts, bolster the economic growth of local peoples, and be a more sustainable alternative to traditional tourism.
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In 1972, the General Conference of the United Nation’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Since then, UNESCO has officially recognized more than 1,000 heritage sites. Most of these sites have been successfully protected by national governments, but some of them have been poorly managed. Even more concerning, many cultural and natural sites are at risk of being destroyed even before UNESCO’s Committee ever has a chance to consider inscribing them on the World Heritage Site list.
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Just days after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, I embarked on a Taglit-Birthright trip to Israel to explore my Jewish identity and better understand how the conflict affects the daily well-being of Israelis.
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I decided to return to Cambodia because the work of the missionaries to Cambodia is particularly meaningful to me: their ministry model is predicated on a model of church-planting and discipleship - which is foremost among my beliefs and values - and encompasses several mercy ministries, including rescuing and rehabilitating girls from the horrors of sex and labor trafficking (which continue to be devastating problems in Cambodia), teaching English and other supplemental educational programs in the village, and feeding the poor.
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When I decided to take a gap year at the last minute, I was hesitant about postponing my college education but hopeful that the year ahead would prove to be worth the delay. I was not disappointed.
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Prior to spending my summer of 2022 in Taiwan, I had visited only a handful of times to the place my parents once called home. They have now spent a greater proportion of their lives in the U.S. than in their homeland, so I never had the chance to get to know Taiwan beyond my infrequent visits as a tourist with my family.
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My winter break spent in Bangladesh brought numerous moments of fulfillment and reenergized me to work towards supporting my community back home.
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