My pledge...

I recently pledged to raise $2,000 for Carmen Pampa Fund, the actual cost of a student to attend the college. Students pay about $500 per year to study at the College (tuition, room and food expense), but the actual cost to educate a student is $2,000 per year. Each scholarship recipient must perform 120 hours of community service per semester. In addition to teaching students the value of hard work, the services they perform vest them in the value of their own education and give them pride of ownership towards their school and each other.

Over the course of two months, I fell in love with all of the UAC- students, the staff, the community, and the environment. This summer I started at the University of Minnesota in the Master of Social Work program. I feel very privileged to be able to continue my learning and attend graduate school. I can't help but think of the students at Carmen Pampa who may be struggling to continue their education and the young people in Bolivia who have the dream of going to college but don't know how they would be able to do it. I have never felt so strongly about an organization and its impact in the world.

The easiest way to contribute to my pledge is to go to the Carmen Pampa Fund website's donating page http://www.carmenpampafund.org/donate.htmand and click on the "Click here to DONATE NOW using Justgive" button. You will be directed to a secure page to donate using a credit card. On this page, include the following information: Enter description of how you would like your donation to be used: SCHOLARSHIP. Dedicate my donation as a gift in someone’s name: JESSICA B (in order to track the amount raised for this pledge).

One exciting update: Two UAC students, Mari and Fabiana, are here in Minnesota as a type of internship in an immersion school. It's amazing to see this world through their eyes. I will never look at an escalator the same again. They are going to be such an asset to the students they are working with and they will bring back many valuable skills to their communities and classmates in Bolivia. I am excited to support these girls during their time here.