Congratulations! You're a Paul Harris Fellow!

While I was home visiting friends and family in Texas, I dropped by my local Rotary Club of Arlington, Texas to visit with Rotarians there and share with them how I had spent my summer interning at Peace Boat Japan. I gave a speech about my experience working at Peace Boat and their Global Article 9 Campaign, my upcoming master's thesis plans on peace constitutions, and future career goals in East Asian security issues and policy research. My parents also joined me that day. You can read my full speech to the club here.

As always, it was great to have the opportunity to share with everyone what I am doing with the great support Rotary is giving me. I also find that these personal interactions at club meetings give Rotarians a better sense of what the World Peace Fellowship program is and what we peace students are doing. From the many times that I have been asked exactly what does one do in peace studies, I understand how difficult it can be put one's head around what a peace activist and a peace student do without conjuring up images of peaceniks from the 1960s. Trust me, though, it has evolved since then!

At the end of my speech, I received a special surprise from my mentor: I was presented with the Paul Harris Fellow award! Unbeknowest to me, she had nominated me to be a recipient on behalf of my past community service, my current peace studies, and my further future accomplishments in these areas. Below are some pictures from that day and the award presentation:

Like President Obama when he heard he won this year's Nobel Peace Prize, I was completely taken aback by this award and wish I had done and was doing more to deserve the honor. But also like President Obama, I will use this award as a call to action for myself to continue pressing for a more just and non-violent world! I am glad that I have the support of Rotarians like her around the world who are helping me to do this!

JRG