Help me end my 14-year journey to my Bachelor's in Germany!

Kelly Nalani Start Date: Mar 13, 2022 - End Date: Aug 9, 2022
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Leadership/Training Program
  • Study/Degree Abroad
  • Berlin, Germany
  • Stuttgart, Germany
  • Strasbourg, France
  • Heidelberg, Germany
  • Frankfurt, Germany

My Travel Story

by: Kelly Nalani Start Date: Mar 13, 2022 - End Date: Aug 9, 2022
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Leadership/Training Program
  • Study/Degree Abroad
Well I have finally made it to the culmination of my undergraduate experience! At 31 years old, after nearly 14 years of trying to reach this goal I am honored to say I will finally be walking across the stage to get my degree! I am thankful and blessed to be receiving a Bachelor's in Individualized studies with a minor in Agricultural Business Management! I have been able to finish strong over the last few semesters and am currently eligible to also graduate with Distinction in University Honors so long as my GPA remains above a 3.75 after final Spring 2022 grades.

One of the final courses in my undergraduate studies is a course in "Global Issues in Agricultural Communications" which culminates with a 2 week, faculty-led trip to GERMANY! I am honored to have been accepted to this program and do not want to let financial setbacks get in the way of this journey. 

I am an indigenous scholar seeking to advance myself so that I may commit to a life of serving our more than 500 federally, state and non- recognized indigenous communities within our ancestral lands and beyond. I see this trip as an opportunity to expand tribal engagement on a global level in order to remind the world that we are not the "domestic, dependent nations" as defined by the U.S. Tribal Nations are both granted their sovereignty and allocated federal resources by the United States because of the historic nature of the legally binding treaty agreements established between both parties. We must stop viewing this as an act of dependence when tribes are just merely enforcing the moral and legal obligations of the federal government’s trust relationship with tribes. I know this trip will offer me a valuable, global perspective of the potential areas of growth in agriculture for indigenous communities.  I am honored to represent not only the Navajo Nation and New Mexico State University, but all indigenous scholars and professionals alike.

A'hee'hee (Thank you) for supporting my dream and this journey as I culminate my time as an undergraduate student! 

Overview:

"Global Issues in Agricultural Communications is a new Faculty Led International Program (FLIP) in 2022. In this 2 week program, students will gain first-hand experience regarding global perspectives related to international agricultural communications. The program begins in Berlin where students will visit the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, ECF Farm Berlin, one of the world's most modern urban aquaponics facilities, the Berlin Food Policy Council, and pro agro, an association for promoting rural development in the Brandenburg-Berlin region. Then, students will travel to Stuttgart next where they will visit Landesbauernverband Baden-Wuerttemberg, an association promoting provincial agriculture. There will also be a guest lecture at the Universitat Hohenheim that focuses on agricultural communications. Students will also visit the German Museum of Agriculture, and the biogas plant Unterer Lindenhof, the reference plant of the Universitat Hohenheim to learn about its functioning and the biological processes of a biogas plant. Students will then visit an organic farm in Strasbourg, France, and enjoy a free afternoon to explore the city of Strasbourg. The program will conclude in Heidelberg where students will have a full day excursion to Mannheim to visit the John Deer production plan, the company's second-largest plant outside the United States. The program also includes guided walking tours in each city as well as other cultural activities."
  • Berlin, Germany
  • Stuttgart, Germany
  • Strasbourg, France
  • Heidelberg, Germany
  • Frankfurt, Germany

Updates

4

  • New Balance!

    New Balance!
    I am thankful to have received a $500 scholarship from the Study Abroad program! This, along with your donations have brought my balance down to $1,286! I am in shock! Thank you everyone so much for giving what you could to help me achieve this milestone! Endless gratitude to you all!!

  • Donations Were Deposited! <3

    Donations were deposited! <3
    Again, I am honored to have such an amazing support system! Thank you to everyone who has donated. The funds were all deposited and I was able to make the payment today!