Brazil 2007

Brazil 2007 was an amazing trip. Man, the difference a year makes!
http://web.mac.com/olsenmk1/iWeb/Site/KaiizenEducateBrazil.html















The kids are doing great. Some are still excelling academically, others have had some challenges. That was expected though. These kids come from tough circumstances, and not just economically. Home and family life can be tough to. We strongly believe that this is their chance to identify themselves by something other than their economic lot in life. They are now 8 kids with every educational opportunity as anyone else. At least in this way, the playing field has been leveled. As they continue to work hard they can and will have a chance at a University education.

Otherwise, the trip was just a blast! It was fun to be in person with our friends in Brazil. To see them and be with them for a week. We also got to take them to a beach house for a day and just play. It wore me out! Soccer, swimming, sand castles, etc... They have as much energy as they do brains!

After being in Maceio we traveled to Rio. It blew my mind! Contrasts at every turn. Beautiful coastline and dramatic mountains. Crashing waves and crazy city streets. The Cristus and the filth of the world. The Botanical Gardens and Maracana stadium. Million dollar homes next to the slums. Contrast...

It's official, I graduated!

After an amazing journey I am now officially a Brigham Young University graduate! What an amazing ride it has been! After 2 yrs at UVSC then transferring, then another 2 yrs at BYU, I did it! I am really quite proud of myself. For a kid who performed the way I did (or didn't) in high school, the goal of graduating from BYU should have been impossible. I worked hard and played hard, and it payed off.

My education changed my life and the way I view the world. I think one of the most important things I will take from school is the knowledge that I can make a difference. I can impact people and the world around me. I hope I am always engaged in something bigger than myself.

Brazil 2006

I just went to Brazil.
It rocked!

We (The Kaiizen Foundation) are sponsoring 8 incredible kids, out of their poverty situations and into the private school system in Sao Luiz do Quitunde, Alagoas, Brazil. This gives them the proper preparations for the University entrance exam. It is a very difficult exam. Our hope is that these 8 will have a chance to get out of the rut and cycle of poverty they are in, and change the course of their families.