12 | FS Network Newsletter #18
Gaining and Giving a Global Perspective Through Education
Kathleen Schwind
I have always been interested in the international. Growing up in a multicultural household, I was exposed early to different cultures and new ways of thinking. But i t w a s n’ t u n t i l I b e g a n m y u n d e r g r a d u a t e a t M I T t h a t I h a d t h e c h a n c e t o v i s i t t h e p l a c e s I h a d , u p u n t i l t h a t p o i n t , o n l y h e a r d a b o u t . Fo r a m a j o r i t y o f t h e t w o d o z e n c o u n t r i e s I t r a v e l e d t o t h r o u g h M I T, I w a s n’ t a t o u r i s t – I w a s a r e s e a r c h e r, a s t u d e n t , o r a S c h o l a r. B e c o m i n g a Fu n g S c h o l a r i n m y s o p h o m o r e y e a r h e l p e d m e b u i l d t h i s i n t e r n a t i o n a l p e r s p e c t i v e , a n d j u s t a s i m p o r t a n t l y, c o n n e c t e d m e w i t h l i k e - m i n d e d students and young professionals doing incredible, globally focused work.
Gaining a Global Perspec tive Fr o m m y t i m e a b r o a d a s a Fu n g S c h o l a r, I r e a l i z e d t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f gaining a global perspective, and the importance of empowering students by giving them practical skills to succeed in a global working environment. Areas like science, t e c h n o l o g y, engineering and math, known as STEM, are rapidly growing fields, as is the entrepreneurship space at both the domestic and international level. Inspired and humbled by the experience I had to learn from international c o u n t e r p a r t s a s a Fu n g S c h o l a r, o n e o f my focuses and passions while at MIT was providing younger students with similar experiences, no matter their background.
UAVs, STEM Education and 21st Centur y Skill Building in El Salvador In 2017, I worked with a special interest group at MIT to partner with a
non-profit and a local school, located i n a r a i n f o r e s t v i l l a g e i n E l S a l v a d o r, to develop a two-week-long workshop focused on STEM and using unmanned a e r i a l v e h i c l e s ( UAVs ) f o r u r b a n p l a n n i n g and community development. The v i s i o n w a s t o e x p o s e t h e s e e l e m e n t a r y, middle, and high students to the STEM fields, empower them to become stewards of their community by using i n n o v a t i v e t e c h n o l o g i e s l i k e UAVs , a n d teach them tangible ‘21st Centur y Sk ills’ like teamwork, creativity and problemsolving. S T E M p l ays a p a r t i c u l a r l y i m p o r t a nt r o l e i n t h e L a t i n A m e r i c a n e c o n o m y, a n d being able to keep up with these rapidly changing technologies is essential for young people to gain employment a n d h e l p t h e i r c o m m u n i t i e s . Va r i o u s reports published by organizations like the United Nations and General Electric mention the importance of ‘ t r a n s m i t t i n g e n t h u s i a s m’ f o r t h e f i e l d of STEM. Through hands-on projects
