Reflection: The End

Written by: Esther Alaran

It has been three days since I have been back in New York, and it has been the prefect amount of time for me to decompress and reflect on my experience in Guatemala. When I first applied for the GLOBE Fellowship program, I hesitated because I didn't think I would be chosen. There are so many amazing people who join this program that my only option was to write from my heart.

An excerpt of how I began my essay:

I am black

I am woman

I am African

I am child

I am daughter

I am educated

I am human
I am lucky

If I was born in another country to a different family, all the things I have mentioned above would be considered weaknesses despite knowing they are strengths. As with many of our GLOBE borrowers, who are predominately women, I have been empowered through my involvement in the GLOBE network. As a first-generation Nigerian-American, I have been privileged to witness severe poverty without being impoverished myself.  I have witnessed how one can be impoverished through material items yet rich in culture, family, and tradition.  From the lack of constant electricity to the lack of running water in Lagos, Nigeria, poverty is not as black and white as media depicts. Poverty is complicated and can wear a smile. 


The beginning of this essay is more truly than before, especially with all the amazing women we met during the trip. Before this trip, I graduated the day before. My family drove up to witness the traditional ceremony of commencement as I walked across the St. John's stage with my white sunglasses. I am a first generation African America (meaning first of my family to be born in America) and I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and a minor in Finance and International Studies. I have traveled several countries, and will be entering the male-dominated field of Finance this coming fall as an Asset/Wealth Analyst.

While in Antigua, Guatemala, we learned most people don't get to make it to high school let alone finish and making it to middle school is an amazing accomplishment. Access to education and the ability to expand ones mind is very important to me. It was in school I learned the power of reading and how important literacy was to me. There are a plethora of reasons why children did not get to be children whether it was the cost of school or sickness of a family member children must often sacrifice their hopes and dreams for that of their family. It was on this trip, I understood what it meant to stand in solidarity with our borrowers, people who are often not in the room, but need the help of those who can speak up. When we exam poverty, it is such a multi-dimensional problem where holistic solutions need to be at the root. If one fixes the branches of the tree but forgets about the roots, the whole tree shall be destroyed.

My involvement with the fellowship program has reaffirmed my passion to always speak for those who aren't in the room and to stand up not because I am brave but because it is necessary. I dream one day children will get to be children, and the access to education will not be a decision of life and death. The greatest gift I have been given is the ability to explore my mind and know+believe in the possibilities of the world. I AM because YOU ARE. Thank you to my other fellows for being great, Dr. Sama for your leaderships, and all the people who made Guatemala 2019 possible. You will all be forever in my heart.

De La Gente Tour with Gabrielle 

For now, Adios mi amigos
This is Esther signing off.