Fredricksburg Resident Chosen to Attend Clinton Global Initiative University

PHILADELPHIA, PA (04/18/2012)(readMedia)-- Becky Bond, a senior international business, language and culture major from Fredricksburg, Va, had the opportunity to attend the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU) from March 30 to April 1 at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

After reading a magazine article about FeelGood Club, a youth movement aimed at ending world hunger through the sale of grilled cheese sandwiches, Bond decided to cofound a chapter at Chestnut Hill College and was able to earn a spot to attend CGIU through the organization.

FeelGood, which has over 25 chapters nationwide, was awarded 12 spots for their best chapter leaders to attend CGIU 2012. In order to attend CGIU, the Chestnut Hill College chapter of FeelGood had to nominate Bond. As part of the selective application process, she developed a commitment to action, or a specific plan that addresses an issue on a campus, community or on a global level. Bond's commitment to action was building a community garden on the College campus through her chapter of FeelGood. The garden is set to open on Earth Day, April 22.

President Bill Clinton created CGIU in 2007 as a way to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses around the world. CGIU is an annual gathering where students, national youth organizations, topic experts and celebrities come together to discuss global hot topics. This year's guests included President Bill Clinton, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Biz Stone, the creator of Twitter, and Sadiqa Basiri Saleem, the founder of the first women's college in Afghanistan.

Roughly 1,200 attendees joined forces to make a difference in CGIU's five focus areas, which include education, environment and climate change, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation and public health. Leaders attending CGIU move beyond simply talking about the world's challenges by taking steps toward solving them. "The entire weekend was inspiring, thought-provoking, and overwhelming," Bond said. "The number of like-minded change-makers astounded me with their different commitments to action and their passion to help others."

This summer, Bond will travel to Colorado to work as FeelGood's logistics intern, where she will help develop plans for The Big Cheese, the club's main peak experience.

About Chestnut Hill College

Chestnut Hill College, a four-year coed Catholic college in the Ignatian tradition, offers a traditional liberal arts undergraduate program as well as accelerated undergraduate degrees, master's and doctoral programs. The College has been rated by US News & World Report as among the best master's universities in the North, as among the best Northeastern colleges by The Princeton Review, and has been classified as selective by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Since its inception, the College has offered a rigorous curriculum that provides students with a broad background in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The goal of Chestnut Hill College has been to prepare students for life's challenges by helping them to grow intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and socially.