What does it mean to be a “global citizen?” Education First Educational Tours posed this question to high school students this year for their annual scholarship competition. Youth from across the country created short YouTube videos in response, discussing global issues and showing how they personify the label “global citizen.” Among the winners was CCWA Council Fellow and volunteer Evaline Bai. With only a week until the contest deadline, she reached out to the Council’s Director of Youth Programs for direction and inspiration. Together, they decided that poverty would be an interesting topic for Evaline to cover. She focused on steps that one can take on local, national, and international levels to combat this pressing international problem. The videos were then posted to Youtube and viewers were asked to vote on their favorites. Evaline, who described having knowledge of global issues and cultures as an “integral part to functioning in today’s society,” was selected to join 19 of her peers on a 10-day trip to Peru.
Her time in Peru was spent visiting the mountains and tourist sites, like Machu Picchu, where she came away with pictures that she said “looked Photoshopped” they were so beautiful. In addition to tourist activities, the students visited a school and helped with several projects, such as varnishing tables. They also got the chance to play with the kids and meet a lot of locals. It was a fascinating cultural experience that took Evaline as far as eating guinea pig.
However, not all journeys to a foreign country are without their troubles, and travel snafus can sometimes be the most instructive. Evaline and several other classmates had the unfortunate luck of getting salmonella three days before the end of the trip. The trip to the Amazon was cancelled as many students were stuck in a hospital. While this was surely a confusing and somewhat scary experience for Evaline (who does not speak Spanish and was being treated by nurses who did not speak English) she took a cultural lesson away from her time in the hospital. She noted how body language remains so similar between cultures and she employed this this form of communication with her nurses.
Here at CCWA, we’ve seen Evaline living up to her “global citizen” title on a regular basis. In 2010, she worked with the other Council Fellows (a youth leadership development program organized around service learning projects) to help raise awareness of human trafficking in our country and state. The Fellows held public education events, such as one during Gallery Hop in the Short North, and organized call-in days to help push the Ohio legislature to pass Senate Bill 235, which would make human trafficking a felony offense. Evaline was at the Statehouse on the day the legislation passed unanimously, and she snagged a souvenir “I was there” button.
Her work with the Council Fellows led her to a chance to attend this year’s Global Issues Retreat in Hocking Hills with a group of local and exchange students from Columbus schools. Evaline was not only a participant in the Retreat, but she was also the first presenter, giving her peers a brief introduction to human trafficking in Columbus, in the United States, and in the world. This retreat turned out to be Evaline’s favorite activity that she has been involved with through the CCWA.
As Evaline was originally born in China, her trip to Peru is hardly her first experience with navigating different cultures. Shortly after returning from Peru, Evaline and her family went to China for her fifth trip to the country. She stayed three weeks and spent part of the time helping tutor English in a rural school in Hengshui, China. With such fascinating experiences under her belt already, one has to wonder what is next for this upcoming high school senior! Evaline is currently narrowing down her college search but has her sights set on the foreign service program at Georgetown University.
Evaline pointed out how many of the domestic issues affecting our country today will surely affect other countries. The United States Congress’ recent debate about the debt ceiling, for example, has implications for the larger world economy or for how budget items like “foreign aid” is prioritized. She cited Somalia and its acute famine as an example of a country that might feel the fallout from isolationist policies. Organizations like the CCWA help people in Ohio look at issues outside of their “bubble,” says Evaline. By bringing specialists from all over the world and from a vast variety of disciplines, the CCWA is helping to internationalize the perspectives of our community.
Evaline was pleased to see Madeleine Albright earlier this year. She would love an opportunity to see John Huntsman, former ambassador to China and potential candidate for the Presidency, come to Columbus to address the Council in the future. It is easy to imagine Evaline could someday follow a similar path to John Huntsman. Or walk in the footsteps of Madeline Albright, whose prolific career was accessorized by a collection of pins which, like Evaline’s SB235 button, proved she “was there.”
- Michael Coleman,
Mayor of the City of Columbus