Emily Buonocore

I am a 20-year-old college student. Pretty typical, I know. But I am not a typical college student. I am not in college in the hopes that someday I will make a lot of money. I am here to learn how to make a difference in the world. When I graduate I plan on applying to the Peace Corps four-year program. It has always been my dream to "set the world on fire" and make a difference. Many people say that one person can only do so much. "One person cannot help everyone." I am one person and I know I can help everyone. I have had the chance to travel to third world countries to build houses for the poor and see how people in the rest of the world live. You do not know how to live until you see a woman carry her disabled 14-year-old daughter two miles to church on Sunday morning at 6:30am. You have not seen love. Love is Maria, a woman in the Dominican Republic who cooked some rice on the floor of her dirt and wood hut and even though you can tell she has not eaten for a week, the first thing she does before she takes a bite is turn around and offer what she has to you. I have had the great opportunity to see beyond the classroom. In doing this, I have met some truly incredible people. I've seen some incredible things. I want to write with the Odyssey to do more.