Coventry Student Lands Grant for Peru Trip to Volunteer at Orphanage

COVENTRY, RI—A Coventry resident is one of just four college students statewide to receive grants for international travel from the Michael P. Metcalf Memorial Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation.

Ryan Curtis of Coventry received $7,000 to enable him to spend six weeks in Peru this summer volunteering at an orphanage for children with disabilities and doing jungle conservation work through the nonprofit “International Volunteer HQ.”

The fellowships enable recipients to broaden their perspectives and enhance personal growth through international travel, internships and public service programs. Curtis was selected based on the clarity of their application and their thoughtfulness, creativity, motivation, self-direction, initiative and financial need.

“I believe that international volunteer programs can bring people of different countries together to work side-by-side, while sharing perspectives and fostering cultural understanding,” he said.

The University of Rhode Island political science and psychology major will spend two weeks in the city of Lima, followed by two weeks the city of Cusco and two weeks in the Amazon rainforest at a remote biological research station.

“I live my life with the simple philosophy that every experience provides a teachable moment,” he said. “The lessons I learn in Peru will never be forgotten and provide a different perspective to help guide my goal of giving back to those who can directly benefit the most.”

The Coventry High School graduate plans to go on to law school after graduating from URI. He envisions a career working in developing education policy.

“My dream is to be able to make long-term changes in our educational system by working directly with at-risk children and families, stressing the importance of education and conservation. My majors will help me to specialize in the nonprofit sector as an attorney and activist for human rights,” he said.

Curtis’ interest developed while volunteering with local nonprofit organizations, including AmeriCorps, Inspiring Minds and Connecting with Children and Families. The majority of children he worked with are members of racial or ethnic minority groups, primarily Latinos.

“This type of immersion in Latin culture will prove invaluable in my future goals of eradicating racial disparities and under-representation of minorities in our educational system,” he said.

Curtis received support from the Foundation’s Christine T. Grinavic Adventurer's Fund, which honors the memory of Grinavic, a University of Rhode Island graduate and 2001 Metcalf Fellowship winner who was lost at sea in 2007.

The other Metcalf Fellowship recipients are Margaret-Amelia Crook of Westerly, who received $4,440 to participate in the Wildlife Cat Sanctuary Program in South Africa; Joshua Jaspers of Warwick, who received $5,000 for an internship in the Obama administration in Washington, D.C.; and Nicholas Tierney of North Kingstown, who received $7,000 to spend two months traveling in Chile.

Over the years, the Metcalf Fellowships have enabled more than 100 students to pursue personal enrichment and public service in locations ranging from Appalachia to Zaire. Past recipients have visited landmarks of Western historical and political thought in Europe, done a medical internship in Tanzania and volunteered at a Costa Rican orphanage. The Foundation will begin taking applications the next round of Metcalf Fellowships in November.

The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. In 2015, the Foundation awarded $41.5 million in grants to organizations addressing the state’s most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities. Through leadership, fundraising and grantmaking activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation is helping Rhode Island reach its true potential. For more information, visit rifoundation.org.