Not long ago I was a queen of procrastination. I thought that I’m only 20, and have had enough time for everything. My mom’s teaching profession affected me. In elementary school, our teacher had two groups of children: my group and another group where kids were one year younger than me. She was an old woman and she had some health issues. And sometimes I used to switch classes with her and teach kids. By teaching I experienced the power of spoken words. At that time, I tasted this sweet feeling you share when you know and see the thankful eyes of children; it’s incredibly inspiring.
As Steve Jobs said. “Crazy people who think that they can change the world, really do”. Maybe I’m quite crazy but I feel that I’m a change-maker. I received an invitation from IDEA to make a speech about leadership and motivation and share my Global UGRAD experience. The organizers invited two other speakers to discuss start-ups and public speaking. It was an inspirational workshop for local youth and legislators on social entrepreneurship. My teammates told them how to create a business and how to present it, and to believe in oneself. It inspired me to start my own business and share the steps it took to reach my goal of receiving a Global UGRAD scholarship.
I would like to thank the U.S. Department of State and World Learning for giving me the opportunity to participate in the Global UGRAD Program. I was able to start my own business and train other people in Kyrgyzstan thanks to the experience I gained on this program.
Written by Gulzari Tursunova (Kyrgyzstan) – Global UGRAD at Mercyhurst University