Last Monday’s talk A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity by Nicholas Kristof was a true educational delight. I regularly read his articles on the New York Times which center on humanitarianism and social justice. His talk focused on these same topics, albeit explained from a more personal perspective than his journalism.

Specifically, he spoke on the theme of investment and the creation of opportunity for the disenfranchised around the world. Most of hat Kristof said was not surprising to me; the statistics about the number of impoverished around the world, initiatives by NGOs and other foundations, etc. But what truly made the talk different from a governmental report was his humanization of these distressed people by sharing his experiences as a journalist and his travels to remote villages all over the world. One story that made an impression was that of a young Chinese girl who was forced to drop out of school because her family could not pay the yearly fee of $13. Kristof later received thousands of dollars in donations to help her and her schoolmates gain an education, yet it struck me how such a fundamental aspect of childhood could would have to be given up because of a “mere” $13.

Nick Kristof is a splendid columnist and speaker. I thought he aptly described several of the issues plaguing the developing world, and yet also offered hope that they would too will be resolved and fall to the dustbin of history.

Last Monday I attended the Bronfenbrenner Centennial Lecture given by, Nicholas Kristof, a columnist for the New York Times and author of best-selling books such as A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity. Kristof mainly reflected on his perspective shaped by years of reporting on global issues including education inequality in China, sexual violence in Cambodia, and domestic poverty, to name a few.

And while much of what he had to say regarding the public health issues that different societies face was not very surprising to me, I was struck by the perspective with which he engaged these topics as a journalist. For instance, he told us that he can see how unpopular many of his pieces about critical human rights violations are, at least among readers of the New York Times, based on the fluctuation in number of people who view his articles. So as a world-traveling journalist, he shared experiences of interacting with people who have been impacted by these issues that many people do not even bother to read about.

One such story that struck me was that of a little boy living in an economically poor region of Appalachia who had a hearing impairment since birth. However, the boy did not receive hearing screening at an early age. This lack of routine, relatively inexpensive screening that someone more economically well off would have easily received, might inhibit the little boy from ever developing verbal communication skills. In other words, the boy’s poverty exacerbated a treatable impairment which could leave him chronically disadvantaged– preventable by simple interventions that should be readily available to all people regardless of their class.

As a Global and Public Health Sciences major, I have been exposed to these and similar subjects in many of my classes; thus, as I listened to Kristof, I thought that he effectively captured many of the salient points of my education in an hour-long lecture including the perspective that public health issues are chronically underappreciated and unrecognized.

This week I attended a talk with Nicholas Kristof, a Pulitzer prize winning journalist and author. His talk was about the welfare of women and girls. He touched on topics such as education and human trafficking.

This talk made me realize how in access to education and human trafficking of women and girls creates and generates inequality. Mr. Kristof’s story about a Chinese girl who, due to donations from being the subject of his New York Times article, was able to receive an education and benefited her entire rural community, displays the value of girl’s educations. When girls are educated, they not only become leaders in their families, but also in their communities. As the first person to be educated in her family, she lifted up her whole family’s position on the income ladder. Education can help people become economically and socially mobile. Kristof’s story demonstrates the concepts about social and economic mobility I learned about in a course I am taking this semester, just in a more global perspective.

The pictures Nicholas Kristof took of the women and girls were the most impactful for me. The youth of the victims of human trafficking was very emotionally devastating. An interesting fact he stated was that many of the pimps who sold these girls into slavery were never arrested by the police, but many of the underage girls were arrested and returned back to the criminals. This also demonstrates the ineffectiveness of law enforcement in combatting inequality. Instead, they perpetuate it.

I was convinced by the arguments Nicholas Kristof presented. He was very convincing because he was so passionate about his work. He has been to so many places around the world, so he has a global understanding about the oppression of women and girls. I think what he says is true, governments need to do more about the oppression of women and girls because that is a big way to combat inequality in the world.

I was very excited to go see the NYT journalist Nicholas Kristof speak in Kennedy Hall. The book that he co-authored with his wife, Half the Sky, has been one of my favorites. He started off with talking about how the equality of opportunity is robbed of most children, since they have many factors against them from the start. If their mother used alcohol or drugs while pregnant, the child will suffer the consequences and setback from the start. Comparably, children in underdeveloped countries have to make do on deficient diets. The lack of nutrition not only stunts their physical growth, but their mental development as well.

Kristof stressed the necessity of investing in the futures of disadvantaged people. Oftentimes, a small act of help can culminate in a huge change in a community. Investing in girls’ education or putting in the effort to help an otherwise disadvantaged person can have huge payoffs in their life. Not only will their life be better off, but they can build up and improve their hometown.

Kristof’s basic message was that anyone can help make a change. It made me examine my own goals and actions in community service. How much am I really helping by just volunteering at a couple of resource centers? Couldn’t my efforts be more useful hands on helping the homeless or otherwise disadvantaged? Why don’t I skip my weekly starbucks and instead donate to a cause that is making meaningful, lasting change? I really began to examine my own privilege and distance from real issues. Overall, it was a very motivating and inspiring message. I’m super glad I went to the event, and will keep an eye out for his pieces in the Times.