Intern Spotlight: Maria Luevano

This is the second of three spotlights on our spring semester 2016 student interns.  Learning Life’s interns this spring are focused mostly on building our new Citizen Diplomacy Initiative, which will connect American families in Washington D.C. with families in other parts of the world through live online video-dialogue.  Maria and our other interns are conducting research and making contacts locally and abroad to grow the Initiative.  We are thankful for their work.  

Where were you born and raised?

I was born in San Francisco, California and raised in the Bay Area.

MariaLuevanoWhat is your year and major at what school?

I am a Senior at the George Washington University studying International Affairs, with a concentration in Global Public Health and a minor in English Literature.

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my free time I enjoy spending time with my friends. Together, we like to explore DC and go to new restaurants or events around the city. I also enjoy watching new movies or television shows, I am currently working through House of Cards season 4 on Netflix (which I would highly recommend).

What is the most beautiful place you have seen on Earth, and why is it so beautiful?

As of right now, the most beautiful place that I have seen is the view looking up from the beach in Positano, Italy — probably because it is currently 34 degrees here in DC in early March.  I spent some time on the Amalfi Coast of Italy last spring and Positano was definitely my favorite stop. It was a beautiful day, the beach was perfect, and as soon as you looked up you were surrounded by steep cliffs that were covered in colorful houses and tiny, winding roads (see attached photo). The vibrant colors and charming bustle of the town were an incredible setting and like nothing I had experienced before.

Is there a particular life experience you have had that has shaped you as a person?  If so, what was it, and how has it shaped who you are?

Moving to Washington DC for college has been a particularly impactful experience for me. Not only did it mean that I moved across the country, but it meant moving to a new city that had its own unique qualities. Having moved three years ago I can now see how this experience has allowed me to become more confident and independent, knowing that I have made a big change and adapted to a new way of life. Moving so far from home gave me the courage to then study abroad in Europe and put myself even further from my comfort zone. While it was difficult in the beginning, I was able to overcome my homesickness and fear of the unknown and I have grown to love my life here in DC.

Why did you choose to intern with Learning Life?

I chose to intern with Learning Life because of my own passion for education and empowerment. DC has become a second home to me during the past three years and I wanted the chance to give back to the community in a way that I felt was impactful and relevant.

What are your career plans?

I am currently very interested in higher education as it pertains to study abroad and exchange. I would love to work with a program or university to encourage and facilitate cultural exchange. I am also very interested in working abroad to expand my own world view and continue to explore new cultures.

Global Citizens for Our Global Age

Climate change, species extinction, infectious diseases, trade piracy, internet hacking, terrorism, war, trafficking in drugs, weapons and slaves, etc.  There are no lack of deadly serious problems that cross national borders in our contemporary world.  Indeed, these problems, substantially driven by our increasingly intertwined economies, define our age as global, and call for global citizens.

Our Global AgeThere are currently four types of actors that act legally across national borders:

  1. National governments facilitate or hinder international trade, cultural and educational exchanges, and diplomatic relations.   
  2. Inter-governmental bodies like the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Criminal Court, establish and seek to enforce transnational laws.
  3. Multinational businesses like Walmart, Samsung, Toyota, Saudi Aramco, Apple and many others seek profits abroad.   
  4. Transnational NGOs like the Red Cross, Greenpeace, Gates Foundation, Amnesty International, Avaaz and religious associations mobilize people to pursue common goals across borders.

Each of these actors can make our international problems better, or worse, and advance the public interest or special interests.  Whether they do one or the other always depends in no small part on the number and character of their agents.  This fact raises a fundamental challenge for our global age: how do we nurture the global citizens who can drive our international institutions to tackle our common problems, and serve the public interest?

Our world needs more global citizens, yet citizenship is too often defined in national terms.  Governments of course routinely define and enforce citizens’ rights and responsibilities in national terms.  On a world scale though, the United Nations has representatives from its member countries, but it doesn’t have citizens. 

We are not at the stage in world history when people consider themselves first as citizens of the Earth, and second as citizens of their countries.  Hopefully, we will one day reach that stage because that perceptual shift — along with enforced equal rights and responsibilities as global citizens — would go a long way toward building a more just and peaceful world.  At this time though, given the serious transnational problems we face, we can move toward that more just and peaceful future by nurturing global citizens more systematically.     

There are, of course, countless local to international organizations and campaigns doing their level best to engage ordinary people in varied public issues, from community health initiatives to coordinated climate change demonstrations across the world.  There are, however, far fewer organizations working systematically to nurture global citizens.

At their best, global citizens are active, informed, resourceful, wise and good.  They are active in connecting with others to better understand their world, and to address its needs and problems.  They are informed about our world’s geography, history, economy, politics and culture.  They are resourceful because they can think creatively, applying limited resources to meet social needs and solve public problems.  They are wise because they understand human weaknesses and strengths, and use this to democratically design more effective, peaceful and just institutions.  They are good because they put the interest of the world’s people ahead of their personal, group or national interest.  Clearly, this is an ideal of a global citizen, but ideals give us something to aspire to, and work for.  

In modern times though, people across the world are “entangled yet detached,” to borrow the phrase of the contemporary American philosopher, Michael Sandel.  We are entangled because our decisions as workers, consumers and voters often shape the lives of strangers near and far, especially if one lives in the most powerful nations.  We are detached because we are most often unaware of the many complex ways our lives are intertwined, and we feel few if any obligations to those outside our family and friends, let alone strangers beyond our borders.  Further, the widely prevailing and assumed way to live worldwide entails work, play and rest, but little if any citizenship beyond local charity, periodic voting, and military service.      

More and more schools are developing international curricula because they understand that future citizens must be able to think and act across borders.  But NGOs, if not also governments, inter-governmental bodies and multinational businesses, need to pick up where schools inevitably leave off, at the end of the school day and at graduation, to create manifold and attractive opportunities for people to engage with the world.  

Global citizens are not born.  They’re made.  Global citizenship is not a phase or fashion.  It’s our future.  And it’s time we built that future.     

Paul Lachelier, Ph.D.
Founder, Learning Life

Learn about Learning Life’s new Citizen Diplomacy Initiative here.  

Intern Spotlight: Carolyn Rider

This is the first of three spotlights on our spring semester 2016 student interns.  Learning Life’s interns this spring are focused mostly on building our new Citizen Diplomacy Initiative, which will connect lower-income American families in Washington D.C. with similar families in other parts of the world through live online video-dialogue.  Carolyn and our other interns are conducting research and making contacts to grow the Initiative, and we are thankful for their work.  

Where were you born and raised?

I was born and raised surrounded by snow in Buffalo, New York.

CarolynRiderWhat is your year and major at what school?

I am a freshman at the George Washington University in D.C., and planning on majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in International Development and double minoring in Business Administration and Spanish.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I like to explore different neighborhoods around D.C., run to the Washington or Lincoln monuments, and go out to eat (love GCDC!) with my friends.

What is the most beautiful place you have seen on Earth, and why is it so beautiful?

Last winter break, I had the opportunity to visit Hawaii with my family. One of the islands we visited was Kauai, otherwise known as the “Garden Island.” We hiked part of the Napali Coast, which is 15 miles of rugged coastline. Most of it is inaccessible because of the sheer cliffs that drop straight down. It was the most incredible and beautiful hike I have ever done.

Is there a particular life experience you have had that has shaped you as a person?  If so, what was it, and how has it shaped who you are?

The summer after my sophomore year of high school, I participated in an exchange with a family in Germany. For three weeks, I lived with my host family, traveled around the country, and had the opportunity to experience German culture. This experience has inspired me to travel more and learn more about different people and cultures around the world.

Why did you choose to intern with Learning Life?

I want to help inform and empower more people, and Learning Life is all about that. I chose to intern with Learning Life’s Citizen Diplomacy Initiative because I believe it is important for anyone, no matter their socioeconomic level, to have the same opportunity to engage in diplomacy as anyone else.

What are your career plans?

I plan to work for an NGO (non-governmental organization) focused on international development, particularly for women and communities.

Cell Phones’ Influence on Social Life

Nine out of ten Americans own a cell phone, and more than six out of ten own smartphones, according to the Pew Research Center.  Worldwide, cell phone usage is expanding rapidly, with 3+ billion currently subscribed, and an estimated 6.1 billion subscribed by 2020, per the mobile communications company, Ericsson.  With this rapid technological diffusion comes social impacts that the following five facts explore.  

Thanks to Learning Life intern Samantha MacFarlane for helping to research and draft these facts.

Cell Phones in SchoolThe Mass Phone-Checking Compulsion

Sixty-seven percent of U.S. cell phone owners check their phones even when their phone does not alert them of a new message.  Forty-four percent sleep with their phones so as not to miss messages during the night.  Twenty-nine percent view their cell phones as “something they can’t imagine living without.”  

Source:  Aaron Smith.  2012.  The Best (and Worst) of Mobile Connectivity.  Pew Research Center.   

To Be Young, Part 1: More Texting, Faster Irritation

Younger Americans on average text far more than they call or email, and expect faster response than older Americans 50 and over, who, in contrast, prefer calling and emailing, and don’t get so easily irritated with slower response.

Source: Ira Hyman.  2014.  Cell Phones Are Changing Social Interaction.  Psychology Today.   

To be Young, Part 2: More Text Breakups

Fifteen percent of young adults report ending a relationship via text message, and 25% report being dumped via text.  Older Americans reported fewer text dumps, and those 50 and older reported none whatsoever.  

Source: Ira Hyman.  2014.  Cell Phones Are Changing Social Interaction.  Psychology Today.   

Phones, Class and Performance: The Impact of School Phone Bans

Students in British schools that banned cell phones performed better on high-stakes tests than students in schools that did not ban phones.  Moreover, low-achieving students exhibited the best test improvements, while high-achieving students experienced no improvements, suggesting that low-achievers are more likely to be distracted by cell phones.  

Source: Beland, Louis Philippe, and Richard Murphy.  2015.  Ill Communication: Technology, Distraction and Student Performance.  Centre for Economic Performance.  

Cell Phones Facilitate Impulse Giving

About 20% of American adults have donated money online, and 9% via text message on their mobile phones.  In at least one famous case of “impulse giving” — the January 2010 Haiti earthquake — text donors alone donated an estimated $43 million to relief efforts.  Most (89%) of these donors saw the “Text to Haiti” appeal on television, and 50% made their contribution immediately, with another 23% making their donation the same day.

Source:  Aaron Smith.  2012.  Real Time Charitable Giving.  Pew Research Center.