The corners of my mouth crept into a bittersweet grin as I saw the familiar face of a boy, clad in a red t-shirt and dusty blue jeans, ambling my way. It was my final day in La Corona, a small village in the Matagalpa region of Nicaragua, and I was not yet ready to say goodbye to Fernando. Although we did not speak the same language, we managed to develop a genuine friendship over the course of just seven days. He watched and helped as I led a team of twelve Georgia Tech students in hewing a large stone staircase into the side of a steep hill, which led to the community’s cemetery. Before our project’s completion, water would rush down the hill during the rainy season, and funeral processions were unable to advance up the cliff.

Unable to communicate otherwise, I greeted Fernando with my eyes, and gestured upward from the bottom of the staircase toward our finished product. He studied the stones we had carefully laid. I noticed dried concrete caked to the hem of his pants from the day before, and the tag and seams of his shirt that faced outward. Without forethought, I opened my mouth to tell Fernando that his shirt was inside out. However, before words could come, I inhaled sharply, and stood with my lips parted in a moment of realization and self-reproach: this was no accident. Sensing my surprise, Fernando turned his gaze to meet my stare. Fernando’s sheepish eyes said more than a thousand words could have ever expressed, and my suspicion was confirmed in a single, poignant juxtaposition of my own relative fortune with the local people’s humble lifestyle. I embraced Fernando once more before he walked away, leaving behind a stark reminder of my overwhelming privilege, and a renewed sense of purpose.

When departing from Nicaragua I recognized more clearly than ever before how fortunate I am. I have the luxury of wearing several sets of clothes each day, while Fernando has only one pair of pants and one shirt to wear for an entire week. Throughout my life, I have been entrusted with much – both tangibly and intangibly. I believe that to whom much has been given, much should be expected. I do not seek personal success when embracing the many opportunities I have been presented. Instead, I pursue success as a platform to positively impact the lives of others. I am grateful for my many experiences, and I feel that those experiences make me both capable, and obligated, to positively impact our world.