Gianna Morales is a high school junior at Bronx Center for Science and Math in New York City, a recipient of the Away Passport Scholarship, and an applicant of the Global Glimpse 2022 program.
“My grandpa is my biggest inspiration. Before he passed, he instilled in me the desire to see the world. He always told me to travel, to see the world, and to follow whatever dreams I dreamt. I am Puetro Rican and I grew up learning about my culture through my people, food, and music. Although I’ve never been outside the US, I always felt connected to my home country thanks to everything my family taught me. I want to feel that same connection with other countries and communities. I love photography and my dream has always been to travel the world and capture the beauty of different cultures through my camera. Now, I feel like I can actually do that because I’ll have a passport!
I first heard about Global Glimpse as a freshman in high school and knew I would apply when I was a junior. However, I didn’t think about the logistics like not having a passport. I am one of three kids in my family and while I know my parents would do anything to make my dreams come true, I never thought about asking them to help me get a passport because I knew there was a cost for it.
You can’t imagine how happy I was when my teacher told me about the Away Passport Scholarship. I thought I could get help in paying for a passport and my first travel experience?! I immediately applied and got the Away passport scholarship!
Since receiving the scholarship, I have applied for my FIRST passport and for the Global Glimpse 2022 program! Having a passport actually makes Global Glimpse real. Having a passport will be the first step in making my dream come true. I will be able to see the world, meet people of different communities, learn new languages, and capture the beauty of the world through my camera.
It’s a really cool feeling to know that the world is open to me now that I have a passport! I’m so ready to experience all the new chapters in my life!
Gianna’s first passport will be one of many FIRSTS in her Global Glimpse journey. This holiday season, we invite you to join us in supporting students like Gianna so that together, we can safely return to travel and make the POWER OF FIRST accessible to hundreds of students in 2022!
Every gift made on Giving Tuesday will be matched – up to $10,000 – by a generous Global Glimpse donor! Donate today to double your gift!
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