Alliance of Students Against Poverty

ASAP Member of the Month--December 2007

Megan Adams is a senior at Upper Arlington High School in Columbus, Ohio, where she currently serves as the President of ASAP’s founding High School Club. She first heard about ASAP when Jon Mangum, an Upper Arlington alumni and ASAP program coordinator, made a presentation at Upper Arlington High in April 2007.

Megan decided to start an ASAP club at her high school because she has a passion to help those living in poverty and strongly supports microfinance institutions. She believes that “microfinance is a bottom-up approach that puts funds into the hands of those people who need them, not into the hands of rich politicians who do not know the immediate needs of the poor.” She also believes microfinance “allows people living in poverty the opportunity to improve their lives on their own terms.”

Through Megan’s leadership at Upper Arlington, the ASAP Club has done amazing things in just a short amount of time. Recently, the UA ASAP Club hosted three successful fundraising events—an Ultimate Frisbee Tournament, a Rita’s Italian Ice sale and a door-to-door fundraiser. In just 3 months they have raised $1300.

Because of her great work, ASAP would like to honor her as our First ASAP Member of the Month. We recently had the opportunity to interview Megan and learn more about her.

ASAP: What has been your most rewarding experience thus far with ASAP?

Megan: My most rewarding experience with ASAP so far has been collecting $350 from collection jars in local restaurants and stores over the duration of two weeks. These generous donations proved that Upper Arlington residents were willing to support the quest to eradicate poverty just as much as our club is.

ASAP: What would you most like to accomplish as a member of ASAP?

Megan: As a member of ASAP, I would like my club to raise $5,000 by the end of the school year as well as create awareness in the Upper Arlington community about the prevalence of poverty and how Americans can help eradicate it.

ASAP: If given the choice, which country or countries would you like to work in?

Megan: Because I worked in Haiti last summer, I would love to go back to instill pride and the determination for change in the people of the country.

ASAP: Who do you most look up to?

Megan: There are many people I look up to. All of them have Christian values, great intellect, independence, confidence, a passion to lead and a passion for change.

ASAP: What are your plans for the future (e.g. college, major, career, etc.)?

Megan: I plan to major in business, economics or international relations in college. Eventually, I would love to work for a Non-governmental agency to spur economic development in less developed countries.

ASAP: Do you have any advice or words of inspiration for other ASAP members?

Megan: I would say don’t be afraid or intimidated to make a change. Every effort starts in the grassroots stages. Sometimes society can be intimidating because of the convention that has already developed, but have the courage to change the norm. Have the courage to take risks and dream big. Dare to make a difference in your school and community. People will respond and be encouraged by your enthusiasm about the issue of world-wide poverty.