My Part in Creating TravelTelevison.org: Elyse

A wise man once said, "Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something." In the first week of my sophomore year in high school, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the American Gulf Coast, destroying large portions of the region and submerging the city of New Orleans. I followed the path of this deadly storm via several news sources. The summer before my senior year, I continued to follow Katrina's path by interning for TravelTelevision.org. During this internship, I helped tell the story of Hurricane Katrina through new eyes: those of the volunteers.

As the Head Writer on this project, I helped promote www.ProjectKatrinaVolunteers.net, a website on which individuals or groups who have traveled to the Gulf Coast during the last two years can share their stories. Since the hurricane, over 500,000 volunteers have traveled to the devastated region to spend their vacation time assisting the rebuilding efforts. Sadly, the volunteer efforts in the Gulf Coast are diminishing, despite the fact that volunteers are still needed for another five to ten years.

Working on the Katrina Project was very meaningful to me because it allowed me to work for an important cause and bring to light the stories of important people who had been otherwise unnoticed in the recovery process of Hurricane Katrina. I enjoyed utilizing my writing skills and acquainting myself with several different styles of writing, such as press releases and blog entries. It is very gratifying to make an impact in solving a world problem. I hope this project will inspire others to volunteer their time to help others in their immediate and global communities, just as it has inspired me.

Elyse