Livin' with Liv

The Give and Take organization will allow women in developing countries to create new opportunities by teaching them skills that give them the potential to improve their situations. With these skills, they would have the ability to create businesses and provide necessities for their families that may not have been feasible before. Throughout The Blue Sweater Novogratz criticizes the effectiveness of traditional charity. Novogratz in many of her stories explains how grants are not the most effective at combating poverty due to its lack of lasting impact. She says this kind of charity many times defeats the purpose of trying to help those in developing countries by failing to use the money to create a lasting change that can actually address poverty in these areas. In response to this Novogratz uses microloans in attempt to show the women Duterimbere loaned to that they were capable of doing it themselves. My idea for The Give and Take organization takes on a similar philosophy. ...

“Today we are redefining the geography of community and accepting shared accountability for common human values. We have the chance to extend the notion that all men are created equal to every human being on the planet. This will require global structures and products we are only beginning to imagine.... Each of us in his or her own way can contribute something by thinking -- and acting -- like a true global citizen. We have only one world for all of us on earth, and the future really is ours to create, in a world we dare to imagine together”. -Jacqueline Novogratz, The Blue Sweater Through the quote above, Novogratz argues that we should redefine the typical standard of success from economic prosperity to helping others. Today, we subscribe to a very individualistic meaning of success, our society has become conditioned to believe that if they alone become rich and/or famous then they have achieved success. This quote presents a counterpoint that to have success we all must work...

Since we’ve been young we always get asked this question. For some people they can answer you without a doubt they’ve always known. Others it’s not as easy they get a little uncomfortable and make a joke saying “not be homeless.” The question “what do you want to be when you grow up?” For me, this has always been a difficult one. I’ve always had interests in lots of subjects but never known if I was passionate enough to pursue just one as a career. So when the decision to choose a college and a major came around it was a particularly daunting choice. I had always been passionate about STEM but I also knew I wanted to work with people. So doctor seemed like a sensible option until I realized I couldn’t see blood without turning away in disgust. So I gave up on that option. Then I decided I wanted to be a biomedical engineer. This I pursued for a long time even doing a summer internship at a gene therapy  company. I loved the possibilities the work I was doing had but I ...