Thank You - a letter from Victor
by Victor Roy on August 11, 2009
To the extended GlobeMed family:
As I prepare to head off to the UK this coming fall, I wanted to reflect on our awesome ride together for the past few years.
Countless moments will remain imprinted on my memory for years to come. Still, GlobeMed’s first annual Global Health Summit (March 1-3, 2007) will be particularly special. Late into a Saturday evening in a classroom of 40 passionate students from several universities across the US, we shared our ideas for how we could work together to build a movement for global health equity. While our visions were rough at best and our model was far from being established, our first annual Global Health Summit revealed to us all that we shared a common purpose and dream. As we realized our individual hopes were also someone else’s hopes, we literally began to write a new story together up on whiteboards and in our notebooks. A story of our generation living in a deeply unjust and inequitable world, but a world of possibilities that we believed could – and should - be vastly better for billions.
Three Summits, 19 chapters, and 21 public health projects later, we've strengthened the foundation for a social movement that will reach tens of new universities and communities in the coming years. For helping jump-start our work and for being there to help make that ride possible - thank you.
The people that made (and continue to make) it possible
I write with deep gratitude for the courage and passion of an extraordinary group of people who have made our work possible.
Each day when I come to our offices, it’s hard not to ask, “how lucky am I!?” Ridiculously lucky. It’s been a privilege to work alongside each and every volunteer and full-time staff at the National Office, where I’ve spent much of my past few years. Peter Luckow, a sophomore in college in the spring of 2007, decided to take the jump - deferring his junior and senior years at Northwestern - to work full-time for GlobeMed. Ashley Hagaman moved from Michigan right after college, committing to developing our new Chapter Advisor model. Both Peter and Ashley have served as tremendous full-time staff for the organization, bringing passion, intellect, and diligence to our efforts. A group of students volunteers at the National Office - Ankur Asthana, Rachel Berkowitz, Maggie Carlin, Greg Freedman, Meena Hasan, Ron Li, Divya Mallampati, Kristina Redgrave, Hannah Robbins - all worked with tireless energy, pouring in countless hours each semester in-between exams, papers, and jobs to develop our programs, raise money, and organize Summits. They have been a powerful force in shaping our organization, and their spirit will long be remembered.
What's a movement without grassroots leaders? Since our early months in 2007, student leaders at universities across the US have been pivotal in making us believe that our model could even be possible. Students like Liz Francis and Jon Lichkus (Penn State), Paul Rotert (Truman State), Colleen Fant (Northwestern), Ashley Hagaman (Michigan), and Jon Shaffer (Northwestern) all were instrumental in building our grassroots network, mobilizing the passions of tens of peers at their universities. Since then, many new leaders have joined the movement, following these great examples who paved the way. We're proud to count two of these leaders (Ashley and Jon) as full-time staff at the National Office!
Since the beginning, GlobeMed has relied on a vital group of mentors and supporters, such as Brian Hanson (NU faculty, Board member), Jeff Richardson (Abbott Fund), Michael Diamond (NU faculty), and Art Winter (Evanston lawyer). Our Board of Directors, led by Cheryl Middaugh, has been a constant source of guidance and helped mobilize behind an ambitious growth plan. Along with them, hundreds of supporters have contributed time, money, and energy behind our mission - without their faith in the possibilities of student action, GlobeMed would have remained just an idea.
Our partner organizations around the world show the leadership on a daily basis that inspires us all to action. Working against grave odds in conditions of extreme poverty, organizations like Rwanda Village Concept Project, the HOPE Center (Ghana), and EAPSAC (Mexico) continue the struggle for social justice and health equity. I’ve been honored to meet many leaders from these organizations, and their experiences remind us each day why we do what we do and teach us a great deal about perseverance and hope. The stories of these organizations, communities, and grassroots leaders demonstrate our responsibility to act, to partner, and to challenge ourselves collectively to do what ever it takes.
Personally, I could also not have taken risks and worked diligently without the support of my family and friends. My parents have always been behind my dreams, willing to learn along with me with new opportunities. And in so many moments - from challenges to celebrations - my girlfriend Amber has been incredible over the past few years. There have been so many more people than I have mentioned here - students, volunteers, supporters, and mentors - that deserve thanks. To you, my deep apologies, but please know that I am indebted for all your support. I've learned so much about compassion and leadership from the group of talented people I've had a chance to work with through GlobeMed. You have changed my life in deeply transformative ways, energizing me with hope and belief for our world in ways I had not before experienced. You inspire me more than you know.
What’s ahead
I can't help but be inspired about our future. Jon Shaffer, our new Executive Director, has already brought a fresh energy and entrepreneurial spirit to the organization during his first summer weeks. With his leadership, a strong staff and Board, an impressive network of chapters and partners, and a growing group of devoted supporters, we're poised to realize our ambitious expansion plan in the coming years. As we pursue this bold direction, the support of all of these groups will be critical to our success. I am also thankful for the opportunity to continue this meaningful work, as I will be involved in GlobeMed as a member of GlobeMed's Board of Directors beginning in September.
Graduate school beckons at Cambridge University in the UK, where I will be studying and researching in a sociology program. I plan on tackling various topics, from the development of social movements (especially how we can strengthen a social movement for global health equity!) to the impact of specific economic and political decisions on health inequities. I'm hoping it will be a great opportunity to start the next stage of my life-long commitment to global health equity.
If you've got ideas for topics I should be exploring, just want to drop me a line about what you're up to, or are in the UK anytime in the next year, shoot me an email at . I want to hear from you all!
I’ll end with an excerpt from a Marge Piercy poem -
It goes on one at a time,
it starts when you care
to act, it starts when you do
it again and they said no,
it starts when you say We
and know you who you mean, and each
day you mean one more.
One at a time, we can continue to write this story together. I know we will.
With GlobeMed love,
Victor
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