When my best friend Parisa was a small child her house was set on fire with her and her family locked and barricaded inside. A neighbor was selfless enough to help, despite the possibility of serious consequences for himself and his family, and saved them. The only reason they were targeted was because of their religion; they were a practicing Baha'i family living in Iran. As she painfully shared with me this heartbreaking story of persecution while sitting in a Starbucks in the small mid-western town of Pittsburg, Kansas, I began to grasp the meaning of a global perspective. Her life and upbringing was so drastically different from mine, but yet here we were, linked together as human beings, my decisions affecting her life and hers affecting mine. I came to understand a culture different from my own, not only from that one story, but vicariously through her struggles with American culture, her own Persian family, and the constant moments in our friendship when we were hit with the realization that we were seeing life from completely different points of view. Due to the fact that I was born, raised, and now attend college in the same small Kansas town, I owe her so much. I've learned priceless life lessons from her, and I treasure the fact that despite our severely different backgrounds, we have the ability to coexist beautifully and constantly learn from each other.

Now I find myself with an insatiable desire to continue to learn more about this fascinating global community that Parisa made me realize I am a part of. I want to take this newfound passion and curiosity past every border and boundary. I want to understand how my actions and the actions of my country influence all of the world, not just myself and mine. I desire more than being well-traveled; I want more than pictures and sight-seeing. I need to see the lives of ordinary people and to see myself through their eyes. More important than all these things, I dream of a world that directly reflects Parisa and I: more than just people from severely different backgrounds, but people who have the ability to coexist beautifully and to continually learn from each other.

Winning this Ultimate Adventure would bring me one step closer to achieving my goals and would take me places I could never get to on my own. Working on my Spanish in Costa Rica, understanding culture in Tanzania, or religion in Thailand, are all experiences that would take my global awareness to the next level. The more I learn about my global community, the more I realize that I only know the tip of the ice berg. But one thing I do know for certain –the more I explore this amazing world, the more I want to know! If money and time were no object, traveling the world would become my life-long pursuit; learning and seeing ways of life from the points of view of other cultures. This contest is an opportunity that I am excited to have a chance to be a part of. Thank you very much for considering me and please vote if you would like to!

Safe and life-changing journeys everyone!

-Lindsay