The Bill Arnold Leadership Award was created to remember a cherished member of our AMIGOS community. Bill Arnold passed away on August 5, 2020 after a battle with cancer. The award fund for the Bill Arnold Leadership Award was established from the support of the Arnold family and other generous donors.
Cada año, seleccionaremos a un voluntario o miembro del personal de proyectos para que sea un becario Bill Arnold. Los becarios deben demostrar un liderazgo excepcional y un compromiso con la visión de AMIGOS de un mundo donde todas las personas sean líderes de por vida que compartan la responsabilidad de nuestra comunidad global. El premio ofrece a cada becario un estipendio para cursar una oportunidad educativa o de participación cívica.
About Wesley Nesbitt
I am a native Californian, born and raised in San Diego. I am a 17 year old Junior and proud member of Amigos de las Américas. As a kid I spent most of my time on the soccer field, basketball court or playing ultimate frisbee. I have always enjoyed being active and part of the community. As I started high school from home during Covid, I was looking for ways to stay engaged and also give back to the community. I heard about the AMIGOS program through my older sister. I was lucky enough to be chosen to be part of their Proyecto de impacto comunitario my freshman year and this experience got me hooked on the program. Sophomore year I continued to work with AMIGOS as a member of the Young Alumni Council and that summer I was in Costa Rica helping families run coffee farms. Not only was it an amazing cultural and volunteer experience but I really improved my language skills as well. This last year I have spent time volunteering as a mentor and tutor with a local organization, Casa de Amistad, a program in Solana Beach that provides tutoring to underserved elementary students. We focus on completing homework, improving math, reading, and speaking skills as well as developing excellent study skills.
I plan to put this award to use in civic engagement, as well as a unique educational experience. I have wanted to start an Ultimate Frisbee club at my high school and I would use a portion of the stipend to aid in the start up of this venture, supplying equipment and working with the other schools to coordinate games. In addition, I would put a larger portion of the money towards Casa de Amistad. I plan to work with my advisor at Casa de Amistad to put the money to work in the Dreams + Tech Initiative which gives children the ability to focus on STEM outside of school hours, helping to provide technology resources to the students and parents. Helping to fund this program will give the kids I work with the ability to improve their Math, Science, Engineering and Design skills and set them up for getting a college degree in a STEM major. Casa de Amistad is a very rewarding program that I enjoy immensely and look forward to participating in each week.
I am passionate about helping others and learning more about other cultures, and this summer I look forward to my volunteer trip to Panama. I am thankful for the leadership and volunteer opportunities the AMIGOS program has given me and I intend to use these skills as I venture off to college in a year. Although I do not yet know the type of degree I will earn, I do know that I will continue to focus on my Spanish language skills, I will travel and volunteer, and I look forward to my future, knowing that what I have learned through this program has put me on a path to success.
Más sobre el legado de Bill Arnold
El viaje de Bill con AMIGOS comenzó en 1965. Formó parte de la primera clase de voluntarios de AMIGOS y se unió al programa desde su hogar en Woonsocket, Rhode Island, mientras era estudiante en la Universidad de Cornell. Durante los siguientes tres años, Bill ayudó a lanzar el modelo de “programa dirigido por jóvenes” que AMIGOS ha defendido durante más de 50 años. En 1966, formó parte del equipo de personal superior y, en 1967, se desempeñó como Director de País en Guatemala. Ese verano, Bill conoció a Cathy Anthony, una voluntaria de Houston. Se casaron en 1971 y su hija Elizabeth también se convirtió en voluntaria de AMIGOS 30 años después.
Los Arnold han sido una familia inspiradora para AMIGOS. Tanto Bill como Cathy formaron parte de la Junta Directiva y ayudaron a fundar el capítulo de Atlanta en Georgia. Bill obtuvo su maestría en estudios latinoamericanos y se convirtió en un líder estimado en los negocios internacionales y el gobierno. Disfrutó de una carrera diversa que abarcó cargos de alto nivel en organizaciones de voluntarios, la banca, el gobierno y la academia, todos conectados por su compromiso de toda la vida con la mejora del entendimiento global. Bill desempeñó cargos en Texas Commerce Bank, en el Export-Import Bank en Washington, D.C., designado por la administración Reagan-Bush, en Royal Dutch Shell (jefe de Relaciones Gubernamentales Internacionales) y en la Escuela de Negocios Jones Graduate School de la Universidad Rice (profesor titular en la Práctica de Gestión Energética), donde fue pionero en nuevos cursos y enseñó a más de 1,000 estudiantes durante una década. Bill deja un legado indeleble de compasión, valentía y liderazgo. Su familia y amigos lo extrañarán profundamente, al igual que las muchas vidas que tocó en todo su paso por el mundo. Su constante aliento, optimismo y confianza en cada uno de nosotros que lo conocimos serán por siempre una fuente de fortaleza e inspiración.
