Why did you decide to volunteer with UBELONG in Peru?
Lisa: I attended the Eleanor Roosevelts Girls' Leadership Workshop (GLW) when I was a high schooler and the program focuses on human rights and social justice. Since then I have had a burning desire to do something to help improve the world, even in a same way. Growing up in a small town, everyone thinks locally and not globally so it was hard to find a way to go abroad at first. In college, I went to a conference in Washington DC where I met Raul Roman, the co-founder of UBELONG. He made it sound so easy. After I returned home, I looked through all their programs and found one that fit my interests, math and Spanish. I had always wanted to go to South America and I love math. UBELONG made it easy and they were extremely helpful every step of the way to make sure I had a great experience.
Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.
Lisa: Every day was a little different but generally you would have a morning class and two afternoon classes. Each class had about 10-20 children (or adults). I would typically do my lesson plans the night before or the morning of. In Huaycán (a "suburb" of Lima) we worked in 3 of the zones (D, S, and Z) so if you had a class in S or Z you would have to also make time for a combi (their public transportation) ride to the zone. All the volunteers live together in a house in Zone D.
How has this experience impacted your future?
Ever since GLW, I knew I wanted to do something to make a positive impact, but this experience with UBELONG allowed me to see that I am capable of doing so. I have also met some of the most incredible mentors I could have in my life through volunteering with UBELONG. Even though I am not volunteering currently, I regularly keep in touch with Cedric, my UBELONG mentor and co-founder of the organization, as well as Raul. Eventually my hope is to do grassroots development work with getting technology available to developing countries.