Closing Thoughts

It has been a whirlwind two weeks and I have more travel ahead, but I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what I learned on this trip. There were so many shocking realizations about the many problems the people of India face, but equally as many touching moments when the people we met demonstrated the hope they have for the future. Also, time and again I was inspired by each organization working to bring change in this country.

I went into this trip thinking it would help me solidify what I want to do when I finish my degree, but instead it raised a dozen more questions. Currently I can’t even decide what class I want to take for my final elective this fall! But I think this is all good, all part of the learning process that one should go through in graduate school.

I decided to pursue my MPH because I wanted a career that was more fulfilling on a personal level, in which I could feel like I was making a difference in the world. When I first started reading and learning about social entrepreneurship I thought, this is it, this is the model that will make a difference on a broad scale. I know I am not alone on this, having just finished reading Bornstein’s book. But after this trip, I find myself still questioning what exactly is and is not social entrepreneurship and how I can get involved in something that must start from within a community.

However, like Pooja Warier said, I do not think we should focus on definitions and nomenclature. And, like many of the organizations demonstrated, there are plenty of opportunities to help people working for change in their communities. In addition, I know that I can take what I learned and apply it to social problems in my community, whether that be my hometown in Ohio, my “new” home in Washington, D.C., or the US as a whole.

There will be plenty of time to reflect on this trip further, and I know I will continue to look back on all these experiences as I take my last semester of classes and move on to my practicum. So for now, I just want to say how thankful I am to Dr. Vyas, Dr. Parrish, my fellow students, GW, and all the wonderful organizations we met with for this invaluable experience.