Hanna Melnick

One chance decision to go to Bolivia would change the course of two young women's lives: Hanna Melnick, a US student at Harvard University, and Jhenny Aguilar, a teenager from the slums of La Paz.

Melnick spent an SIT Study Abroad semester in Bolivia focusing on multiculturalism, globalization, and social change. As part of the program, Melnick visited the Integral Center for Rural Women, a boarding school that helps young indigenous women finish high school.

"I was excited by the mission of the school," she said. "They were teaching women to become leaders in their own communities."

In her final year at Harvard, Melnick applied for and received a fellowship to return to the Bolivian school as a teacher. In between classes, her students often told her about their dreams of going to college, but few had the financial resources needed. In response, Melnick started a scholarship fund with the help of her SIT advisor and two Peace Corps volunteers.

Aguilar, one of Melnick's students, received the first scholarship. She plans to study pediatric medicine and treat the children in the impoverished community where she grew up. The experience also altered the direction of Melnick's professional life. She now works as a teacher in a bilingual classroom in San Jose, California, with Teach for America.

"After working in Bolivia, I realized I wanted to make a difference in my own community back home."

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