My name is Brent Shively. I was born and raised in the small town of Fulton, Missouri. After graduating high school, I made the journey to Nashville, Tennessee to attend Belmont University. After realizing I did not want to become a famous music industry professional, I changed my major from Music Business to Social Entrepreneurship.

In May 2012, I graduated from Belmont with a Bachelors of Science in Social Entrepreneurship. After graduation, I was looking for an opportunity to further explore my passions for development, entrepreneurship, and other cultures, which aligned perfectly with the Lumos Travel Award. Now, I am heading to India. Udaipur, India, aka The City of Lakes, is where I will be spending my four months abroad, while living in the household of a local family located in the city.

During my time there, I will be interning with Jagran Jan Vikas Samiti, JJVS, a village-based NGO with a long history of working with poor villages throughout Northwestern India. My primary roles will be to work alongside the board to strengthen the structure and management of the organization, and to access further sources of external funding for Jagran. I’m excited to work with an organization that has a very holistic approach to development and has had a successful track record for over 20 years, while at the same time, exploring and absorbing the culture and knowledge surrounding me in the family I live with, the communities Jagran works in, and the city of Udaipur.