Change Starts from Becoming Aware 

by: Valerie Ayala

Studying at a different country is undoubtedly one of the best decisions I have ever made. Without such an experience one’s world is merely but a glimpse of a huge spectrum. My world has expanded tremendously through my experience in a foreign land. It went from watching the news and listening to horrible violence that occurs afar, to listening to the voices of children a few feet away speak about the violence they experience firsthand every day. It’s surprising how much of an impact their words are having over my life. Violence, crime, and corruption is a norm in these children’s lives. Grasping and holding on to their words and the lectures that have been taught has definitely opened my mind and filled it with a burden to help these communities. A burden necessary to create change. Learning about our own country and how it affects other countries around the world must become our norm. Sometimes being informed is all that it takes. Oblivion might be bliss for us, but knowledge means survival for others.