Simply Bakery Anonymous

I was ten when I saw a documentary on Haiti for the first time. There was one scene where a few refugees brawled, vigorously attacking each other. The reporter then revealed what they were fighting for: a moldy pile of bread.

For a piece of bread, they beat each other to near-death. I could not stop thinking about what I saw, and during lunchtime, I looked down into my loaded plate and felt disconnected. I knew that poverty existed, but it wasn’t until today that I’ve witnessed the extreme despair and barbarism that it is capable of inciting. Growing up in one of China’s most prosperous cities, my perception was narrow, and I felt uneasy that I once felt complacent and entitled to my privileges.

What I learned permanently altered my perspective of the world we live in. But more than anything, I felt a restless urge to make change. I started baking extra amounts of muffins to donate to our local homeless shelter. Despite feeling delighted to help impoverished members within my local community, it was not enough to satisfy my ambitions. I wanted to help more people.

That’s why I created a club on campus that sells baked goods to raise money for communities suffering from poverty: Simply Bakery. During freshman year I was able to...