Hi everyone! My name is Alisha Gupta and I am so excited to be a part of the GDO this year. I want to share with you all my experiences with Operation Smile, which sparked my interest in Global Development studies. Operation Smile, a non-profit organization that provides pro bono surgery on children with cleft-lips and cleft palates in foreign countries, provides many opportunities for high-school and college students to get involved around the world. These opportunities have in many ways made me who I am today.
Since middle school, I was a part of my school’s “Happy Club.” We had a large, strong club all the way through high school and participated in many regional events such as dodge ball tournaments, benefit concerts, and 5ks, just to name a few. Every summer, students would attend the International Summer Leadership Conference (ISLC). This conference includes roughly 400 teenagers from all over the world, all united to learn better leadership skills. The conference participants are divided into groups each led by an Executive Leadership Council (ELC) member for that past school year. These ELC members come from across the country work all year in their respected regions to plan Operation Smile fundraisers, while simultaneously planning ISLC and the two mission training workshops for students accepted into training, working closely with the Operation Smile Student Programs Staff and the College Council (CC). This past summer, we themed the keynote speakers and activities around the motto “Chain Reaction.” Participants really learned that change does start with them.
I attended three conferences in Georgetown DC, Norfolk, Virginia and lastly, Dublin, Ireland. I was accepted for a mission to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in April 2013, where we provided 96 surgeries in just ten days. That mission made me want to apply for a spot on the ELC. I was on the ELC my senior year from 2013-2014, culminating in Ireland. My perspective of life, and the world in general, broadened and so many strong friendships were built off of these experiences. Some of my best friends were made at the Georgetown 2012 conference, and I am able to look forward to see them again every summer. I became close with students I met this summer, and the whole ELC creates a strong bond for the conference.
Operation Smile embodies strong student leadership at an early age that creates a chain reaction towards becoming a better person and bettering the lives of others that couldn’t otherwise fight for themselves. As for now, I hope to join the University Voice program, in which college students act as journalists for a mission site. There is also a College Council program. Although it has been quite the process, I would encourage you to become involved, there is always room for more volunteers. I am excited to see what this year’s ELC and CC has planned for a great year. I started out just in the 8th grade club, not knowing my involvement would grow so far, or that it would have such a great impact on myself.
Since middle school, I was a part of my school’s “Happy Club.” We had a large, strong club all the way through high school and participated in many regional events such as dodge ball tournaments, benefit concerts, and 5ks, just to name a few. Every summer, students would attend the International Summer Leadership Conference (ISLC). This conference includes roughly 400 teenagers from all over the world, all united to learn better leadership skills. The conference participants are divided into groups each led by an Executive Leadership Council (ELC) member for that past school year. These ELC members come from across the country work all year in their respected regions to plan Operation Smile fundraisers, while simultaneously planning ISLC and the two mission training workshops for students accepted into training, working closely with the Operation Smile Student Programs Staff and the College Council (CC). This past summer, we themed the keynote speakers and activities around the motto “Chain Reaction.” Participants really learned that change does start with them.
I attended three conferences in Georgetown DC, Norfolk, Virginia and lastly, Dublin, Ireland. I was accepted for a mission to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in April 2013, where we provided 96 surgeries in just ten days. That mission made me want to apply for a spot on the ELC. I was on the ELC my senior year from 2013-2014, culminating in Ireland. My perspective of life, and the world in general, broadened and so many strong friendships were built off of these experiences. Some of my best friends were made at the Georgetown 2012 conference, and I am able to look forward to see them again every summer. I became close with students I met this summer, and the whole ELC creates a strong bond for the conference.
Operation Smile embodies strong student leadership at an early age that creates a chain reaction towards becoming a better person and bettering the lives of others that couldn’t otherwise fight for themselves. As for now, I hope to join the University Voice program, in which college students act as journalists for a mission site. There is also a College Council program. Although it has been quite the process, I would encourage you to become involved, there is always room for more volunteers. I am excited to see what this year’s ELC and CC has planned for a great year. I started out just in the 8th grade club, not knowing my involvement would grow so far, or that it would have such a great impact on myself.