Like many of my fellow students, I personally chose Tulane over two other universities and colleges specifically because of the strong commitment to social change and critical ethical thinking that I felt Tulane nurtured in both its academic programs and its variety of other extra-curricular opportunities. But of course, like any Tulane student can attest to, once you become a student, navigating the plethora of nuanced and often confusing internships, volunteer events, community organizing sessions, and student clubs can be a bit more of a challenge than, say, meditating with like minded students in a Tibetan social work class. It isn’t to say these engaging and enriching courses are ‘easy’ or ‘simple’, but it is to clarify the two very different skill sets that are required in order to turn your passion into action.

Back in 2010, I began my Tulane academic career as an architecture major, intensely immersing myself into the study and creation of dynamic spaces, forms, concepts, and phenomenological experiences that the design process can provide to any project, whether it be a building, a website, or a new organization. Eventually, I realized that I was much more interested in the human side of design, and I switched my major after two years to become a dual major in international development and political science with a concentration in international relations. In many ways, my academic career has provided me with a variety of skills and means to create and serve in a variety of positions in many industries. Yet, the need to complete an internship, especially an international one due to my majors, became a chronic mental block during my junior year.

Luckily, due to the fantastic international development listserv emails operated by Sheila Favalora in the IDEV department, (shameless IDEV plug here), I heard about Omprakash and Salt Lake City Prayasam in early January, 2013. Omprakash, a not-for-profit organization began by current Rhodes scholar Willy Oppenheimer while he was studying at Bowdoin, serves as an intermediary of sorts between students, volunteers, and passionate citizens in the United States, and that of non-profits in dozens of countries throughout the developing world with internship opportunities. Their new EdGE program was getting under way last spring- Education through Global Engagement- and so I looked through the PDF of volunteer listings that were eligible for this last summer to find my top three choices. My first choice, Salt Lake City Prayasam, has operated in Kolkata, India since 1994 and serves as a vast resource and grass roots organizing initiative for youth whom dwell in the slums or ‘bastees’ surrounding Kolkata. A couple of weeks after submitting my application for Omprakash, I found an email in my inbox from my top two choices, both were in India while my third pick was in Thailand, informing me of my acceptance to join Prayasam this past summer.

In the end, it came down to paying attention to flyers, browsing the web for various study abroad opportunities at other universities if Tulane didn’t offer one that I was interested in, and surprisingly, checking my email. I have to admit however that I did encounter that moment of doubt while I was filling out my EdGE application online. We all know that moment. ‘Am I really qualified for this? What can I really offer? What if I go and it turns out to be a huge mistake?’ To everyone and all who ever encounter this inevitable slight of self-consciousness: you’ll never know what you missed out on if you never apply! Half of life is showing up, being there, learning through your mere presence in situations you’ve never encountered before, making mistakes and learning from experiential knowledge.

So I invite all who may peruse this blog in search of opportunities to just apply, fill out the form, show up and get remembered. Remember: jumping into the pool, is the first part of learning how to swim.

-William Braddock, Tulane University Class of 2014