全球思考，本地行动

Kacie霍普金斯 has known she wanted to make a difference on a global scale since college. Hopkins learned about the horrors of human trafficking as an undergraduate student living outside of Chicago. “When I first started my global studies program at North Central College, I read a book about a trafficking victim from Nepal, 和 it really opened my eyes to wanting to study the abuse of women,她说。.

毕业后, 她继续磨练自己的专注力, working at a rape crisis center as a shelter advocate for survivors of rape, 家庭暴力和人口贩卖. Hopkins’ interest in studying global issues didn’t dissipate while she worked, but there was one problem: The rural town she calls home, 阿维斯, 宾西法尼亚, 人口是1,200. It’s also situated close to the center of the state, around 200 miles from major cities Pittsburgh 和 Philadelphia.

“I wanted to study something global, but where I live there are no 项目,” she explains. “我最热衷的是全球研究, 和 after finding the classes involved in the online master’s in 全球社区参与听起来很棒.” Hopkins decided to enroll in the master’s program, offered through the University of Denver’s 大学学院，继续追求她的激情.

One of the highlights for Hopkins was an independent study, which her professors helped her arrange to incorporate a last-minute service trip to the Bahamas. She learned about healthy cross-cultural relationships in business, focusing on topics like toxic charity 和 creating good business structures. “I wanted to learn about how to build a relationship with someone in a different country specifically so that I could support entrepreneurs in impoverished communities.”

From that trip 和 independent study course grew Wildflower Enterprises, the business Hopkins runs with her sister Kaitlyn to empower women in rural communities. Her trip also led to a partnership between Wildflower Enterprises 和 two female artists in the Bahamas, whom she now helps with jewelry sales 和 business consulting.

“One goal of our business is to teach people how to use the resources they have around them to create a sustainable life 和 community,她说。. “I feel like I have a calling to stay in a rural environment. It makes me sad that people here are often neglected, 和 with my education I feel like I need to be somewhere to make a difference.”

Hopkins was initially unsure whether an online program would fit her needs. 这是她以前从未做过的事, 和 she had some challenges during her undergraduate years that made a master’s program seem out of reach. Ultimately, the online format turned out to be a natural fit for her area of study.

“I’ve taken four classes from one of my favorite professors, Darryl Meekins, who actually lives in South Africa 和 teaches our classes from there,她说。. “This program has been amazing because I’m living in this tiny town in 宾西法尼亚, but I’m connected with classmates in all different parts of the country, 从丹佛到D.C. It’s really helped me underst和 how to start a global business 和 stay connected.”