Bloomington High School South, The Gothic, 2009, Page 212

Description:	from hiah schoolto heroRecent Bloomington South graduatesgive a new meaning to the word heroA hero may be admired for hisachievements and noble qualities,but Bloomington South graduatesredefined the word hero. They werenot only noble, but determined. Theywere admired both by their siblingswho attended South and by those theyserved.Maggie Konstanski (2005)starved to live life with hope,compassion, and conscience forthose around her. In 2007, shefounded with two friends a nonprofit organization called Spoonin the Hand. The purpose of the organization was to raise awareness aboutpoverty, oppression, and injustice inthe world, as well as aid existing organizations in foreign countries.Konstanski always had a heart forhuman rights, but in high school shewas more concerned about what theworld could give [her] rather thanwhat [she] could give to the world. Itwasnt until college when she startedto find the true hero in herself. I realized that at the end of our lives wewont have our wealth or even our accomplishments, but we do have ourstory and the people we loved alongthe way. My hope is that I will havea great story to tell and many peopleto love.Catherine McGillivray(2007) also had an affinity for helping others, and she was given anopportunity to go to Kenya afterhigh school. Ever since I canremember Ive been fascinatedby Africa and in high school I realized I wanted to make a career outof it, she said. In Kenya, McGillivrayvolunteered at an orphanage and visited an AIDS hospital which made herestablish plans to one day work in Africa. She hoped of one day workingfor an organization such as the WorldFood Program or UN High Commission for Refugees. Im really proud ofthe fact that Ive found what I love andthat Im working hard to be successfulin the development field early on in mylife, she said.Rachel Beyer also traveled toAfrica, as a part of a study abroadprogram. I had always wanted to gosomeplace very different from the United States, to see how the majority ofpeople in the world, without so muchprivilege, live, she said. Beyer traveledto the country of Ghana and attendedclasses at the Universityof Ghana. Additionally, she interned forA Rocha Ghana, anenvironmental conservation organization,and for a school feedingprogram in Adenta.But unlike McGillivray, Beyerspassion was local organic farming networks. I think if the global community were able to drastically changeits international food production andtransportation systems, we could createhealthier people, healthier community,and a healthier planet. She movedto Lansing, Michigan to pursue a certificate program in organic farming atMichigan State University. Sustainablefood production can be used to createsocial equity and environmental stability around the world, she said.These three South graduates all gavesomething to the world and rightfullyearned the tide of hero. Konstanskisaid, There is nothing more valuablethan realizing that your day made a difference in someone elses. -MONICABILESHow do you reach out?South students share how they make a difference.«\,Maggie Konstanski stands against humantrafficking by working for the CambodianHope Organization in Poipet, Cambodia.photo courtesy of magge konstanski1 tricfc-oMrecrted jfor WNICEF. ^Im a member ofpeered ckmq . d do ^tte2008e\ectm: i aromd Me commmty,100th anniversary I heroes
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomsouth/id/8234
Collection:	Bloomington High School South

Further information on this record can be found at its source.