Nora is a 15 year old school girl living in Berlin. Together with some soon-to-be ‘classmates’, she has big plans for crossing the Atlantic ocean in a boat on a unique adventure. Here she shares the story of how she is making her dream come true:
The Ocean College idea – I was immediately thrilled!
About a year ago, at a school lecture, I first heard about Ocean College. I was immediately thrilled! It sounded like a big adventure, one that allows you to get to know a lot of new things. At Ocean College, a large sailing ship takes you from Hamburg to many destinations in Central America and back. I find this great, because I like to sail and to travel. You can get to know many interesting cultures and countries. The school lessons continue on board. Geared towards very practical things, learning must be really fun. On this trip you have to take a lot of responsibility beyond what you usually find in everyday life. So you can grow beyond yourself. You can work with the other students and the crew.
However, there was a big hurdle!
The adventure at sea costs a lot of money. It was unimaginable for me to get such a large sum.
I as a student have not many possibilities to get money. Since I have only recently been 15 years old, there were not many jobs that I can do at my age and beyond school and homework. First I tried it with tutoring lessons. But also I made several advertisements, I could not find students. Then I tried to start a crowdfunding campaign, but I did not find a suitable platform.
Rescue – the scholarship
My dad said, “Don’t give up. Only those who do something can achieve their goal.” And so I decided not to give up and applied for a scholarship. I had a little bit of hope again to make it. I once again had the conviction that whoever fights can lose, who does not fight has already lost. And indeed! I received confirmation!
However, it was not done yet!
The scholarship is a very big help, but would not have been enough for the participation. Through a hint I came across a great crowdfunding website called KissKissBankBank. I put on a campaign and posted it a little later at Kisskissbankbank – Noras Abenteuer bei Ocean College. I told friends and my family about the campaign. It is overwhelming to see that so many people have donated so much money. This is amazing and I am very grateful for it. You see, the rules of the game are that the donations will be paid out in the end ONLY if the donation goal is reached completely. And guess what…after some anxious hoping and waiting, and with the help of some friends, it worked out!
Of course, the story does not end here – this is just the start of one big fat hairy adventure! Stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks and months and be inspired by the story of one girl making her dream come true.
About Ocean College
Ocean College transforms traditional education methods by facilitating an immersive learning experience in new surroundings. Instead of math and biology, students learn a new language, how to deal with conflict, how to work together in a team and how to deal with new and challenging situations – and yes, all this on a sailing boat crossing the Atlantic. To teach the young participants about globalization, they will have the opportunity to actively participate in a trading project focused on the harvesting and export of coffee from Costa Rica to Europe, thus providing a chance to learn hands-on about sustainable economics and related areas such as project management, logistics, and marketing. It allows participants to grow through an authentic experience that they will never forget and shape their lives as future citizens of a globalized world – the one world we all live in.
To learn more about Ocean College, please visit Ocean College – The Project.
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Hello Admin,
It is very nice that your blog is providing information regarding the program that encourages academic excellence and creativity of students.
I want to aware you towards the “Knight Hennessy Scholars Program”. Each year up to 100 high-achieving students (50 in the first year) who are independent thinkers, display purposeful leadership, and have a civic orientation will receive full funding to pursue a graduate education at Stanford.
The application deadline: September 27, 2017
You can check the given link: http://usascholarships.com/knight-hennessy-scholars-program/
You can also join our Facebook page for the updates. The link is: https://www.facebook.com/MyUSAScholarships?fref=ts
If you are interested in reading articles like Scholarship Thank You Letter, The Bursary Award and much more, kindly check the given link: http://usascholarships.com/category/article/
Thank you for the comment.