Youth Stories

Everything about OneWorld Now! is great. The staff members are like my older brothers and sisters; they’ve helped me in every possible way. They have played a big role in my college application process. Starting from the winter session to the end of the school year, they have been helping me to get in to a good college, where I can continue studying, and learn about the world around me. I will be attending Evergreen State College in the fall. They have taught me to be a leader, and not just think about myself, but also think about the people around me.

OneWorld Now! has created a lot of opportunities for me that I believe I never could have had if I were not in the program. One of the biggest opportunities I got through OneWorld Now! is the chance to go abroad to Egypt for a month to study and practice my Arabic. I never imagined that I would ever in my life go abroad or to Egypt. The experience had a good impact on my life. It has changed me in so many ways that I never thought possible. While I was abroad I didn't know what was changing inside me, but I knew that I was changing. When I got back home I felt that change in me. I was more responsible, and thought a lot more about the people around the world who have much less, even in terms of food to eat, and am thankful for what I have here. I have also become more patient, because while abroad I didn’t know the language so well, and had to think things through before I acted. OneWorld Now! has opened the gate of opportunities for me, and I don’t know how to thank them. I hope that one day I can return and give back.

One of the most significant opportunities I had through OneWorld Now! was the Congressional Page Program, where high school students are sent to Washington, DC for a semester to work for congress on the House of Representatives floor. After my semester as a Congressional Page, I was invited to stay for the rest of the year to be a role model for the new pages in the spring semester. It was truly an honor to be able to work in the same place as the people who serve our country.

I am grateful for OneWorld Now!’s focus on global leadership and awareness, which has helped me expand my previously nascent global perspective. OneWorld Now! encourages its students to think about the limitations in our world as being created by ourselves. My experiences in the global leadership courses have inspired me to become a catalyst for social change and to help others realize their goals.

I spent my first year at OneWorld Now! learning Mandarin Chinese, and, while other programs were incredibly expensive, OneWorld Now! provided me with a full scholarship. I am particularly excited that OneWorld Now! provided me with the opportunity to spend my entire senior year of high school in China! Now, after my experiences, I know what I want to become: a US ambassador working to make a change in this world through serving nations.  I am confident that OneWorld Now! has given me the skills and instilled in me the values that will make my dream a reality.

What is Philmon doing today?

• Interview on "Higher Education Today", October 2011
• Article in "The Seattle Times", November 2011

OneWorld Now! has been a big part of my success during the last 2 years of high school. I started the program my junior year learning Arabic after school and attending leadership workshops every Friday. At the end of the year I was so surprised at how much commitment I put into this program. OneWorld Now! also offered many more opportunities. My heart was in studying abroad, but I never thought it was possible financially. I was told by OneWorld Now! that I should ‘never let money be a factor’, and I got this amazing opportunity to travel to Morocco, immerse in Arabic culture and further develop my language skills.

My OneWorld Now! journey has not stopped there. During my senior year One World Now! helped me with college application preparations and when I was struggling with my senior project, and had only 2 weeks left to come up with a project, I went to OneWorld for advice. They were able to help me develop a workshop on the growing population of multiracial people in the US. The day I held my workshop more than half of the OneWorld Staff was there to support me. That meant so much to me. They were almost like my ultimate support system.

Throughout these 2 years of being involved in OneWorld Now! I see it as more than just a program; I see the staff and students as a big cultural family that is making a change. OneWorld Now! is definitely a good example of Mohamed Ali's saying - "Impossible is Nothing".