Creating ambassadors of our students
Amanda Grant, human services administration major
For Amanda Grant, a human services administration major in the Helen P. Denit Honors Program, working on behalf of those less fortunate is a driving passion. And much of bringing that passion to life is made possible by the Theodore and Helen Wilson Scholarship she’s received, she says.
“The scholarship has given me the opportunity to pursue a life of service,” says Grant, who works as a community coordinator at The Samaritan Women, a resident program serving women who have been victims of human trafficking. “If I didn’t have a scholarship, I wouldn’t be able to work [there] because I’d need to find a job that paid much more to cover both living and school expenses.”
Grant’s dedication to serving populations in need expands beyond Baltimore to the global community. In 2011 and again in 2012, Grant ventured to Guatemala for eight days with three UB students to work with indigenous Mayan families. The families’ use of open fires inside their homes was causing lung damage to their children and an immense drain on the environment. Partnering with the Phoenix Projects and Global Vision International, Grant and her fellow students built new energy-efficient ovens that reduced air pollution by 70 percent.
Grant says participating in UB’s honors program has been a defining experience for her. “It has given me an environment where I can participate in service programs that I really care about, and my professors have had a huge influence on my life,” she says.