Campus Life News
One Student's Passion to Help Others
Passion. Passion evokes many meanings. For one SUNY Oswego student it is what drives her to wake up every morning. Passion for traveling started at an early age for Naomi Rodriguez-Jose, a second year student from the Bronx, NY.
Naomi was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to New York City when she was seven years-old. Her thirst for learning started at a young age, and she was quickly labeled by her family as the “nerd student.” This is a nickname that Naomi abruptly laughs off.
During her senior year of high school Naomi had the wonderful experience of being an exchange student for two weeks in China. She visited two to three different cities and then for the remainder of her visit she spent time with a host family and experienced school life.
“It (China) was a beautiful experience. I liked learning how they lived. The Chinese people loved us and were happy that we wanted to learn about them,” she expressed.
The journey to China definitely planted a seed for her. Naomi kept on pursuing her zest for travel during last year’s spring break as she accompanied other SUNY Oswego students and staff to Argentina. Naomi enjoyed the opportunity to travel to a South American country and it only fed her desire to see more of the world.
Her ultimate journey took her to the small country of Benin, which is located on the west coast of Africa, for 16 days during this past winter break. She was able to take this trip with other students, once again, from SUNY Oswego.
“This was the most eye opening experience,” exclaimed Naomi. “The culture is so different. Voodoo is the top religion and understanding their religion helped explain why they do the things they do. They had a Voodoo Festival when we were there. They sacrificed animals and they connect elements of man with nature,” she said.
Naomi and the other students from SUNY Oswego visited schools and saw how the children were taught. They also had the opportunity to visit an all girls’ school. As with most African countries girls are less likely to attend school compared to boys.
While the college students were in Benin, they learned the country was experiencing a teachers’ strike, which has become a common occurrence in African nations. Beninese citizens told them that at some schools children were going from classroom to classroom in hopes of finding any teacher so they could learn.
Naomi mentioned that the youth in that country are so willing to learn although some of them do not attend school because of the need to help their parents at the marketplace or at home. Illiteracy rates in West Africa are the highest in the world.
She reinforced, “What is poverty to us, is not poverty to them.”
Before her life changing experience in Benin, Naomi read the inspirational book, “The Promise of a Pencil” by Adam Braun. The premise of the book is about the ability of one person to make a significant change in the world. When the author asks a boy begging on the streets in India what he wanted most in the world he said, “a pencil.” This experience started the Pencils of Promise (PoP) organization, which has been responsible for building over 200 schools in developing nations since its inception in 2008.
Last fall Naomi started a PoP chapter at SUNY Oswego. Their first awareness project brought in $40. The main goal for the on-campus organization is to raise $25,000, which would support the completion of one school. Naomi said something so simple as a pencil signifies the importance of education.
Naomi is not keeping her feet planted for too long and she already has travel plans for this summer. She will be traveling for a month throughout Italy.
Her college career obviously includes more adventures, but she knows when she graduates there will still be more out there for her to discover.
“What is going to wake you up in the morning? How are you going to light up the world? I can’t see myself in an office space. I like traveling and working with children in developing worlds,” stated Naomi.
To help children receive an education is truly one of Naomi’s passions. May her dreams and determination to see change in developing nations become an inspiration for other people to pursue their passions. There is no dream too big or too small.