More about me

Why I joined the Beyond Borders program

For as long as I can remember, I have always been looking for opportunities to "make a difference". I am very grateful to have come across the chance to be enrolled in this program during my last year in university. I am aware of many other programs that also offer development placement opportunities. However, I feel that the Beyond Borders program is very unique as they incorporate courses and seminars that teach us theories, challenge us to think below the surface, and most importantly, provide the support we need to prepare ourselves mentally, physically and emotionally for this journey. 

My travel experiences

I was originally born in Hong Kong and have lived there until my family immigrated to Canada when I was 11. I am lucky enough to have parents that love traveling so I have been all through Asia since a young age. I probably picked up the travel bug since then and as I grow up, it only gets stronger. All through high school and university, I have studied in London one summer, volunteered in Costa Rica in another summer, and spent a whole year studied and worked in Germany just last year, taking advantage of my time there to see the many wonderful places in Europe. Finishing my last year of university, I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to do an international development placement this summer and going to Africa for the first time!

What I hope to get out from the program

Coming into the program, I had two objectives in mind (although I am sure by the end of it I will have gained so much more than that). The first one is to be able to gain a first hand experience of living and working with the people that are not as privileged as we are in the so-called "First World". Most of what I know right now, I either learned it from other people and heard it somewhere. I feel I lack the personal perspective when I am talking to people about development issues. So through this journey, I hope to collect stories of encounters that impact me, friends that I make along the way, as well as the frustrations I will experience working in a culture that is vastly different from my own. Secondly, I wish to continue to be involved in the international development field after I gradaute. I am hoping this journey allows me to find out more about myself, my skills, my interests, and the areas I can possibly contribute to as I say farewell to the wonderful student life and enter the next stage of my life.

So that's who I am as of this moment, and I'm looking forward to coming back to this post to see how much I have grown by the end of this summer.