Student World Assembly --- Promoting Global Democracy, One Student at a Time!

Winter and Spring of 2008

Name: Mehrnoush Yazdanyar Esq.
University: UCLA; USC Law School
Major: Law; Political Science (undergraduate)
Nationality: Iranian
Team: Program Development and Growth

Working at SWA helped me gain a solid understanding of the challenges nonprofit organizations face in terms of securing funding and promoting growth. Furthermore, I developed a deeper appreciation for the invaluable support and contribution dedicated volunteers make to the nonprofit sector. It was very rewarding to work for an organization that calls attention to a wide range of global concerns and that encourages individuals worldwide to engage in activities and to actively combat those problems.

Name: Jacqueline Lee
University: UC Santa Cruz
Major: Language Studies
Nationality: Korean/Polish
Team: Program Development and Growth

SWA is a young non-profit organization that is growing fast with chapters sprouting frequently and in the most unique places. It is impressive to see the staff at the headquarters, whose short time with the organization has provided them with enough experience needed to carry out their work professionally. While working on the PDG team, I gained an introduction to program development and proposal writing techniques which are skills that are very valuable in the non-profit sector.

Name: Tatyana Van Loo
University: London Metropolitan University (starting Sep.08)
Major: Applied Translation Studies, MA
Nationality: Russian
Team: Global Initiatives & Outreach (GIO)

SWA provides students with the unique opportunity to have contact and to share ideas with people from all over the globe. In doing so, people not only learn about pressing global issues from one another, but more importantly, they can work together to find solutions to address those problems.

Name: Andrew Mahiga
University: City College of New York
Major: International Studies
Nationality: Tanzanian
Team: Global Initiatives & Outreach (GIO)

SWA is a fast growing organization with a lot of potential to impact people all over the world. It needs as many committed, young people as it can get – people who not only want to work for the organization to gain experience, but people who truly believe in what the mission of SWA is. SWA changed my perspective of how people can be involved and what taking charge means. I had not realized how young people could create and maintain such an organization and make it significant in so many parts of the world.

Name: Anthony Kanakis
University: The College of William and Mary
Major: International Relations, Economics
Nationality: American
Team: Program Development and Growth

SWA is a noble and worthy organization dedicated to the fundamental rights of human beings throughout the world. All members of SWA share the desire to make the world a better place. The most impressive aspect of SWA is the contact that members of the managing team in the U.S.A. have with the representatives and members throughout the world. This collaboration, coupled with the unifying desire for global progress, allows the organization to produce positive and tangible results. Through one's work at SWA, it is possible to literally see the difference you are making around the world.

Name: Baruch Hasanov
University: John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Major: International Criminal Justice (ICJ), Minor in Government.
Nationality: Israeli-American
Team: Global Initiatives and Outreach (GIO)

The best part of SWA is the diversity of its members. SWA welcomes all people and respects all ideas, regardless of one’s race or nationality. Furthermore, the friendly work environment promotes the free exchange of ideas and therefore fosters the development of new friendships and a close knit team.

Name: Crissy Martinez
University: University of London; Adelphi University
Major: Globalization and Latin American Development, International Studies
Nationality: Guatemalan-American
Team: Global Initiatives & Outreach (GIO)

Working at SWA gave me the chance to see the dynamics behind establishing and running an NGO. Furthermore, my experience gave me a newfound appreciation for the value of working for an NGO. It was wonderful to see the issues I read about in textbooks and discussed in classrooms be addressed so passionately by individuals who are affected firsthand. Furthermore, being on the GIO team gave me the opportunity to contact people in regions of the world I never imagined I would, such as Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America.