I am a student at the University of Guelph, Ontario and am studying Bachelor of Arts Honours - International Development. My dream job would be working in a third world country along side the UN, NGO's, or Governmental projects, assisting in community development; more specifically education and/or orphanages. My program is four years in length, however I will be completing my Masters upon graduation from the B.A. program. After completing my first semester and learning more about what is taking place in different countries, along with my passion to travel, I realized there is much more to the world. My parents are very supportive of me travelling and believe it is beneficial to be exposed to other cultures and different ways of life. They have also always told me travelling young is ideal. I have always and will always be a very active member of my community and school life. Throughout high school I won various leadership engagement awards, along with scholarships for being a dedicated, devoted and well-rounded student when combining academics with extracurricular. I played sports throughout high school as well, soccer and field hockey, and completed over 450 volunteer hours. I participated in a mission trip to the Dominican Republic in March 2010 and have since returned 3 times (Dec 2010, Mar 2011, Dec 2011). On the trip, a group of individuals fundraise money and build a house for a needy family. This is where I discovered my passion to help those whom are unable to help themselves. Every time I have returned to the village in the Dominican Republic, the familiar smiling faces get me every time. This is where I realized my passion, more specifically, is helping children and teens in these third world nations. From a young age I have always taken an interest in playing with other children, as I am talkative, outgoing and extremely friendly. From here, I started babysitting in grade 7. Since then, I have fell in love with children, especially children 8 years old and younger. I love their purity, creativeness, and energy. I feel I have no trouble connecting with children and am quite comfortable surrounding myself with multiple children. I have a comfortable approach with rules and guidelines and never have trouble with children not listening (obviously all children have their bad days - here and there). My friends have always called me the "baby whisperer", as I can put a smile on almost any child, and all children feel comfortable with me. I cannot wait to have children of my own one day. I am also extremely comfortable working with infants and all their areas of needs (feeding, bathing, changing, etc.) I have travelled to Europe (England, Italy and Greece) along with South America (Mexico and Dominican Republic) and USA (New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Florida). Although some trips have been visiting family or family vacations, I have also participated on an experiential learning trip, Rome and the Greek Islands, through a private school for the entire month on July 2010. I was away from my family the entire trip and only had contact via e-mail and Skype. I was not home sick and enjoyed making decisions for myself and meeting new people. This is how I know I would feel comfortable leaving my family for an extended period of time and communicating solely through technology. Also, I have started to learn Spanish in school and will be completing a minors degree in the language. Although I am only a beginner I am always looking to improve and embrace myself in other cultures, to familiarize myself with their language. I would be interested in further travelling opportunities, if they presented themselves, however, am completely content staying put for the duration of my stay. It is possible I will do further travelling after I have completed my stay with the family. Also, I am truthfully looking to save some money for school but this can be negotiated per the family and their specific needs. This is a short overview of myself, however, if you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to ask. I understand it is a difficult process selecting an individual to come into your home, join your family and look after your children and therefore, I welcome all questions!! Take Care and I look forward to hearing from you soon. Samantha Neary.