In spring 2003, STA Travel, the world's largest student travel organization, challenged each of its employees at 100+ branches in North America to form teams to support a NetAid World Schoolhouse project in India. When Miguel Espana, a 23-year-old Travel Advisor at STA Travel in Westwood, California, heard about the initiative, he immediately jumped at the chance to get involved.
The mission of the campaign was to raise awareness about extreme poverty in the developing world and help raise funds for the NetAid World Schoolhouse project in the Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh. Over 20% of Andhra Pradesh's population live below the poverty line, forcing many children to work instead of attending school. Supported by STA Travel, Sanghamitra Service Society, a community organization, is working in the area to ensure that all children can attend school.
Miguel's involvement in the STA challenge was hardly a surprise for anyone. "I'm studying education and international development at Santa Monica College, so education is something I am very passionate about," he says. "I had the opportunity to go to India when I was 19 and it changed my life. It was everything I expected, but more than that, [my trip] was an eye opener. I realized that I am lucky to be able to travel to distant countries, and that realization made me want to help [others]."
As team leader, he conceived of the idea to organize a pay-per-plate dinner and a silent auction. "I had worked with other nonprofits that had held auctions which were very successful," says Miguel. "I knew that the dinner alone would not produce the funds needed to reach our goal and since several of my friends and colleagues are artists, I thought that a silent art auction would be a good way of garnering more funds."
Miguel negotiated with a local Indian restaurant, Nawaba of India, to host the dinner and appealed to local artists to contribute some of their pieces—photographs, paintings and mixed media—for the auction. To support the team's initiative, their STA Travel branch donated a 15-day Eurail pass (which provides unlimited train transportation throughout Europe), and a local beauty salon donated two complimentary haircuts to raffle off. Miguel and his colleagues created an on-line invitation and STA Travel's marketing department made posters and tickets to promote the event.
"I had just five weeks to put this (event) together while also attending school and working at STA Travel, so I stayed up very late at night, but I had a great time doing it," reports Miguel.
In the end, Miguel's hard work paid off: Over 80 people, including teachers from UCLA and Santa Monica College, STA Travel staff members and artists, attended the buffet dinner, and Miguel and his team raised $1,417 for the NetAid World Schoolhouse project in Andhra Pradesh.
During the dinner, Miguel gave a short speech about NetAid and the importance of achieving universal education in the developing world.
"In order to prepare the speech I had to do research about NetAid's work," says Miguel. "I realized that what NetAid does is what I want to do: facilitate positive change and use education to break the cycle of poverty. I can't wait to organize another event!"
