Before embarking on the Fall 2017 Voyage, Isaac Badry knew he was going to come back from his journey around the world as a different person. What he didn’t realize until he set sail, however, is how he would be able to impact the world around him.
“Before I left for the airport I knew I would change, but I didn’t necessarily know how. I wanted to make sure that I was open to the idea of change,” Badry said. “We were told to think outside the box, and think introspective thoughts and abstract concepts about different countries and maybe why we do things differently in the States.”
Badry, who attends Indiana University Kokomo, was the recipient of an Impact Scholarship on the Fall 2017 Voyage. Impact scholarship recipients are responsible for infusing a spirit of service into the voyage, both onboard the MV World Odyssey and in-country.
“We were required to do three volunteer activities where we would organize and put on these events. For example, when we went to Ghana and India we decided it would be a really awesome idea to see if anybody had brought pencils or pens or notepads or toys to donate to kids in low socioeconomic areas, so that was really cool,” Badry said. “Because everybody on the ship is really outgoing and really wanting to help everybody out, we got a lot of support for that.”
Badry and his cohort of Impact Scholars also organized Crew Appreciation Day.
“The crew is just really energetic and they’re never unhappy with you about anything. They’re just really awesome, awesome people. We had cards that we made for each crewmember and almost every [person on the ship] got involved in that.”
Badry’s experience, one of discovery, development, and new directions, is hardly unique. Every time the MV World Odyssey sets sail, Semester at Sea Voyagers participate in programs designed to positively impact each and every port, and the scholarships voyagers receive before the voyage help kickstart an eye-opening experience.
This Day of Giving, March 7, Badry encourages alumni, parents, and friends of Semester at Sea to contribute so that future students can become global citizens, and help change the world as they sail.
“Donating to [Semester at Sea] now and helping a college student see the world through their own eyes and not from textbook or videos, it’s truly, truly beneficial and an eye-opening experience,” Badry said. “I know it’s kind of a clich√© answer to say it’s a great experience, but I really mean it when I say it was life-changing for me.”
“Now that I’ve seen a lot of the world it makes me want to go see more of it. I really appreciate the fact that I can think deeply about topics because of Semester at Sea. The benefits of Semester at Sea, they go further than just traveling to different countries.”
What is Day of Giving? It’s an exciting time during which our Semester at Sea family is encouraged to join with our donors from across the globe in making a gift and supporting our life-changing mission: preparing students to be engaged global citizens. Visit semesteratsea.org/day-of-giving to make a contribution.
