My name is Carter Leahy and I am from Bethesda, Maryland. I am 20 years old and I going
into my junior year at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. At Colgate, I major in Environmental Studies with a minor in Sociology and Geography. In addition, I play on the Varsity Field Hockey team and am a member of the club Students for Environmental Action. I first became interested in volunteer work through a program called Social Action at my high school, Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart. Social Action allows students the opportunity to leave campus and volunteer their time to give back to the local community. As a result, poverty alleviation and Nonprofit work have always been a strong passion of mine and I am excited to continue similar work this summer.
This summer I am interning with a Nonprofit Organization, The Borgen Project. The Borgen Project aims to gather support for many different bills that could help reduce global poverty, such as the International Affairs Budget and the Global Health Security Act. The Nonprofit's mission is to make global poverty a focus of U.S. foreign policy.
After volunteering at many different organizations, I have realized I have a strong passion for fighting for equal education. Through my work this summer, I have realized that I have the opportunity to focus on gaining support towards young girl's education by calling and emailing members of Congress and asking them to cosponsor bills such as the Keeping Girls in School Act and the Girls Lead Act. In addition, I have been working to mobilize individuals to take action by contacting congress or donating. Both of these bills are important in gaining attention to the unjust distribution of education in many places around the world.
Education is a crucial step in helping young girls rise from the depths of poverty. In addition, educating young girls can lead to a new generation of civil and political knowledge and participation. Furthermore, education can impact many different communities around the world and lead girls to go on to change the world. But today, over 130 million girls remain out of school. As a woman who has the ability and access to a plethora of educational tools, I want to fight for all girls to have the same opportunities.
These are some of the many reasons why I have chosen to fight for equal education through my internship. I believe that every child deserves the opportunity for quality education and the chance to rise from the depths of poverty. Support girls!
For more information about the Borgen Project, visit https://borgenproject.org/.