Sponsor: Westchester Rotary, District 5280, Greater Los Angeles, USA
Host: Rotary Club of Harrow, District 1130, Greater London, UK
Dear Harrow and Westchester Rotary Families,
Greetings from Geneva! When I left Los Angeles over a year ago to begin my studies as a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar in London, I never thought I would be writing you from here. Not only “here” in Geneva, Switzerland, but “here” from a perspective so impacted by the rich experiences and challenges of the year. I am always overwhelmed with gratitude when I realize how instrumental Rotary has been in helping live out my vision. I think I speak on behalf of many Rotary Scholars when I say that your scholarship and faith in us have changed the trajectory of our lives and made us better global citizens.
The concrete accomplishments that you have enabled me to achieve are straightforward to describe: I now have a Masters degree in Human Values and Contemporary Global Ethics from King’s College London, I have lived and volunteered abroad, made lifelong friends, and begun my vocation in social justice as a Policy Associate at the International Catholic Migration Commission in Geneva, Switzerland. But more importantly, my experiences as a Rotary Scholar have contributed to my world-view in ways that will always inform my life’s work. I’d like to share with you three of these unforgettable epiphanies.
The first is borrowed from an article by another world traveller: people are generally kind. As a traveller and immigrant this year, I have been forced to depend on the kindness of strangers. From having strangers put me on the right train because I'm a Los Angeleno who has never read a public transport map, to having new Rotary Counsellors be my pillars of support in a land far, far away, this year has convinced me that the human inclination for good far outweighs our capacity for conflict and injustice. Too often our media reminds us of the world’s violence and conflict, while telling us little of the day-to-day acts of kindness we experience from strangers. In my work in social justice and peace-building, I will never forget or underestimate the inherent human inclination for goodwill.
The second lesson I learned is that you can make a difference anywhere. I first struggled to find a service project as a newcomer in a country with extensive social services. When I joined a mentoring program that helped under-served students pursue a higher education, I was nervous about my lack of knowledge of the British education system. But after mentoring six high school students over seven weeks, I was shocked to read the evaluation forms. One of the talented students who previously did not want to pursue engineering because her parents called it “man’s work, fixing cars,” wrote that she wanted to go to university and obtain a degree in engineering. Another student whose friends teased her for wanting to pursue the arts wrote that she wanted to be an art teacher after we researched feasible routes to a career in the arts. While I won’t downplay the difficulty of serving with limited knowledge, I learned that simply showing people that you are available and willing to be of service can make a tremendous difference in people's lives.
Which brings me to the third lesson I learned: to “trust the process.” That is, to have faith that the little things we do in pursuit of a greater vision do in fact matter. At times, it was difficult to see how my particular efforts were contributing to my overall vision. Will this Masters degree actually help me be a better public servant for the poor and marginalized? Will mentoring these six students actually change their lives for the better? Will researching endlessly for this dissertation really produce a fascinating thesis? Yet, after every moment of doubt, the answer was yes, yes, and yes.
I'm sure that as Rotarians, there are times when it is difficult to see the end result of volunteering at a community event or writing a check to the Rotary Foundation. But I hope my narrative is one of many that give you faith in the process and show how your support of the Rotary Foundation makes a real difference. Little things like collecting household items for your incoming Rotary scholar or stopping to help a tourist get on the right train all contribute to creating the world Rotary envisions; one of fellowship, goodwill, and intercultural understanding.
I'd like to extend my gratitude to the Rotary Foundation, the local Rotary clubs that made this scholarship possible, and the individual Rotarians who have given of themselves so generously. I would like to especially thank my sponsor and host counselors; Joe Callinan and Rich Musella of Westchester Rotary who spent a very Rotary-filled and fun pre-departure year with me in Los Angeles, and Colin and Maureen MacDougall of the Rotary Club of Harrow who took care of me like their own child in London. I will never forget how your mentoring and care made me feel so blessed, supported, and secure in this adventure. While I will not yet be returning to Los Angeles, it is clear that it is not the end of my relationship with Rotary or the Rotarians I've met along the way. It has been a privilege to serve as your Ambassadorial Scholar and I look forward to joining you in furthering our shared vision of of Service Above Self through Rotary and in our own lives.
With gratitude,
Cynthia Salim
With gratitude,
Cynthia Salim
