Melton Fellows empowered at 2016 Clinton Global Initiative University

“The courage to create is very important.” The words of Bill Clinton at the opening plenary of the 2016 Clinton Global Initiative University made me yearn to put my ideas into action. Upon hearing from great entrepreneurs and humanitarians during the conference, I was highly excited about and was looking forward to the Day of Action.

The Day of Action was implemented as a part of the CGIU by Chelsea Clinton in order to provide CGIU attendees with an opportunity to make an impact. The location for the 2016 CGIU Day of Action was the Havenscourt-Lockwood campus in Oakland, California, which houses five different schools. There, 1,200 CGIU student members had the opportunity to work together towards improving the campus.

Speaking to the teachers on campus, I realized that the campus was not equipped with adequate infrastructure. In fact, the teachers confirmed that most of their students are from extremely low-income households, which reflects on the condition of the campus. As someone who’s passionate about improving the global educational system, I was surprised to find that educational inequality is a major issue even in developed countries.

Together with other CGIU participants, I worked to improve the academic environment for the students. My team was involved in painting the walls of the school and doors of the classroom. Some other groups were focused on planting trees, building more toilets and cleaning the classrooms. Although I wished I had the opportunity to educate the students on global citizenship, I still got a sense of fulfilment through my small act of beautifying their school, knowing that the students will find joy in their good-looking campus and that can positively impact their willingness to learn.