Student at Defiance College attends United Nations conference

DEFIANCE, Ohio - For Defiance College senior Dava Donaldson, a summer conference at the United Nations in New York City gave her the opportunity to share her passion for social justice and sustainable development with more than 500 like-minded college students.

Donaldson, of Elyria, Ohio, is majoring in global studies and received financial assistance from the Jenzabar Foundation to attend the Millennium Campus Conference. She described the five-day event as a networking conference for college students from around the world. “We looked at the Millennium Development goals within the United Nations and upcoming sustainable development goals, and what our generation is doing and can do to address those goals,” she said.

“It was really interesting because I was exposed to so many like-minded students. Our generation was taught that to survive you have to have a job to make a lot of money, so students aren’t doing what they are passionate about. It was incredible to be surrounded by individuals who have the same ideas as you … to learn more about sustainable development and how at Defiance, there are things we are doing to work toward those goals. There are little things that we can do or everyday habits that we can change that can help the world.”

As a Defiance College student, Donaldson has traveled to Peru as a Service Leader and has made two trips to Tanzania through the college’s McMaster School for Advancing Humanity. As a McMaster Scholar, her project focused on the availability of clean water for rural Tanzanians. At the conference, “I was able to talk with people who have experience in water sanitation – how they do it with minimal resources, training people, and creating businesses out of water and solar resources,” she said.

Talking with other college students and representatives from a variety of international organizations, Donaldson said she quickly realized “what an incredible opportunity” is offered to Defiance students through the McMaster School. “I realized how fortunate we are to have these programs on our campus, to get these professional academic experiences that not only put us ahead of the game in terms of graduate school and careers, but in terms of life.”

For her senior capstone project, Donaldson is focusing on micro-lending. “The idea is to help people gain not only financial stability but to be part of something bigger than their family unit,” she said. She will explore both the positive and negative aspects of social entrepreneurship, and what are the best things to help communities develop. At the Millennium conference, she was able to talk to individuals about her capstone research.

After graduation, Donaldson hopes to work in the nonprofit sector with a concentration in peace and conflict resolution. “Hopefully I can create my own nonprofit based on worry-free water and be able to do foundational research for at-risk communities.”

She said Defiance College gave her the freedom to explore many avenues and to find her passion. “That’s one of the greatest things I love about my school. I was able to change my career path and still graduate on time. I was able to take those classes and explore those options and still graduate with my class. I came here for the United Church of Christ affiliation because it aligns with what I believe spiritually and what I try to live by. I really found my home here in every aspect of the word.”

Defiance College, chartered in 1850, is an independent, liberal arts institution in Northwest Ohio offering more than 40 undergraduate programs of study as well as graduate programs in education and business. Defiance College has received national recognition for its educational experience of service and engagement. The college website is www.defiance.edu.