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Growing up in India, Dev had a heart for the culture, wisdom and stories of his his Punjabi ancestors. While forming strong bonds in his homeland, he also looked outward to the world beyond. Transferring from a traditional Punjabi Sheikh school to an international boarding school, he picked up several languages and a passion to reach beyond. Knowing the intricacies of his culture motivated him to understand others and through that scope reach the International stage. Through his studies he hopes to work in global policy and create legislation that can change the world.

How do you build an impact? Juliet beat the odds growing up in Rwanda, the memories of the past threatening to overshadow the future. Determined to make a difference, she set out to use education to fuel her skills and passions to develop into a leader capable of supporting her country and the world. As a young scientist, Juliet remains unfazed by the staggering challenges facing Rwanda and is determined to apply learnings in scientific research to the regions that need it most.

While many of our global scholars are in the early stages of their academic collegiate careers, their passions for learning were sparked long before. Our scholar Juliana spent her childhood feeding her curiosity: reading at the kitchen table after school with her kindergarten teacher mother or doing math with her father. While her peers dropped out and lost sight of their own educations, Juliana looked ahead — building a dream that didn’t yet exist and pursuing it through challenges and setbacks to arrive at Dartmouth.

From the time our scholar Layne was in high school, he not only felt that life could be better in his community, he believed he could be part of the process of change. When there were no refrigerators for local families to preserve food, he applied his high school science learnings to provide self-crafted refrigerators for his family and neighbors. Now, a student at the University of Wisconsin, Layne combines his early passions with new skills in computer science, econ and beyond in the hopes of creating platforms to support farming families, agriculture and food availability for communities throughout Ethiopia.

Our Global Scholars are often known for their creativity and desire to make lasting social impact. This desire often results from a life journey of overcoming challenges and taking leadership in building solutions. Today’s episode highlights how Janel, a Scholar from the Philippines—embraced some of the contradictions around her to create a better reality for her local community.

A portrait of how a young scholar envisions changing the world, even when the odds appear against him. Sheriff shares his experiences growing up in Ghana, propelling him to dream of changing the realities for his home country and to empower people to make a difference. He also shares about his transition from Ghana to the computer science and entrepreneurship major at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Welcome to season two of our Global Scholars podcast: Global Scholars on Air. The theme this season is Changing Circumstances, Building Futures. From Burkina Faso to India, from the Philippines to Ethiopia; follow the stories of our innovative, resilient and passionate scholars as they defy the odds to create change in their communities and world.

Daniel shares of his passion for education, and the key it provides for developing the next generation of leaders in his home country of the Democratic Republic of Congo. What’s more, he illustrates through the example of his life—what it looks like to reach forward towards larger goals, while continuing to reach back to empower communities to learn and grow.

This episode King Global Scholar and UW Madison student Tracy Wambui, discusses Women Leading Communities. Features the music of Rebekah Dawn, Kutembea Nawe, which is used in the podcast with the artist’s permission.

Tenzin shares of her passion to make safe spaces for exchange of ideas and exploration, even as she passionately believes and advocates for her own culture. She also delves into her vision to use education as a solution to global poverty.

Eric shares how his father’s legacy inspires him to live a courageous life to benefit his community. Using his gift of storytelling, Eric seeks to be a voice for his community of survivors of the Rwandan Genocide, and for African youth across the continent, building their skills and leadership abilities.

Hana shares the importance of community in surviving the war that besieged her city of Aden. She shares her hopes as she embarks as a first-year student at Dartmouth College, and explores her desire to inspire people through buildings; and specifically, to rebuild her country.

Jeff shares his inspiring story to capture the world around him through art; giving voice to others and inspiring people to action. We will hear about Jeff’s vision to help empower his fellow Kenyans using an “exponential effect.”

Hear the unfiltered stories of Global Scholars committed to poverty alleviation around the world. From Yemen to Kenya to Rwanda and Brazil, the podcast series reveals these Scholars’ journeys as they navigate the transition from their home countries to Dartmouth College and University of Wisconsin at Madison. Season One focuses on the powerful theme of community to transform and positively impact lives. From living with no running water to competing in elite institutions, this series covers themes, ideas and aspirations of these future change makers. Before you read their bios in the history books, you’ll hear their stories here–on King Global Scholars on Air. Beverly Watson, Director of the Global Scholars Program at King Philanthropies, conducts one-on-one interviews with the 12 first- year Global Scholars, as well as with two Global Scholar Alums of Dartmouth College. Season One includes six episodes focused on exploring Community. Starting on Friday, February 15th, the King Global Scholars on Air series will launch two episodes each week.