Motivation Statement

I want to be a Kiva Fellow because I am passionate about international development. I have recently graduated from Vancouver Island University where I obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies and Media Studies. I feel as though Kiva would be the perfect organization to help me use what I have been learning about for the past four years. I thrive on a challenge and although I have learned a lot in the classroom about international development and using new media, I know that using it in the field is completely different. My experience may be limited thus far but my overall goal is to have a career in international development. I want to make a career out of something I am passionate about. I have always enjoyed helping others and started on the path I am on today by volunteering at a local soup kitchen. Then, through a program at high school called Global Perspectives, I shifted my focus from local to international. My first experience in a developing country changed my life. I attended university in order to understand more about the countries I was interested in and get the training that would be useful in the field. In my last semester of school I did a local internship with an organization called Villages Connected. Through the internship I was able to learn a lot about Africa and utilize many of the media skills I had learned. Now that I have finished schooling I am looking for the opportunity to apply what I have learned and gain some hands on experience in international development. I would love to start that with Kiva.