Helping College Students Obtain Passports
How the Passport Portal is Helping Underprivilege Youth Study Abroa
By Ayah
H
ulda Destin is the President and Founder of The Passport Portal (TPP). The 30-year-old was born in Haiti, and moved to New Jersey in 1993, where she has spent most of her life. Hulda attended Rutgers University and also studied abroad in Greece at The American College of Thessaloniki. Passionate about teaching and traveling, Hulda has been living and working abroad for the past seven years. After a two-year teaching stint in Shenzhen, China, she relocated to Kuwait, where she has been for the past Hulda Destin in Ethiopia five years. She launched The Passport Portal in November 2020 during the COVID-19 information and scholarships to these students pandemic. when they venture off to study abroad. Hulda’s “The year 2020 was an exhausting and scary experiences traveling and studying abroad have time for so many. However, one great thing largely contributed to her desire to help students about 2020 was that it gave me time to follow my in this way. dreams and visions. Ciarra Hodges, currently the “I got my first passport in 2013 after being Vice-President, and I had been trying to work on accepted into a study abroad program in Greece. TPP for about a year, but something would always It was my first international experience. It was truly get in the way. Starting a nonprofit is scary, and it life-changing, and led me to discover my love and requires a lot of work and time. Eventually, Kiara passion for traveling. Being able to visit 47 foreign Thompson and Eliada Destin got on board with countries and live in two has been phenomenal. us, which made everything seem a bit less scary. I want underprivileged youth to know that it’s They helped turn a dream into reality!” okay to step out of their bubble and experience A nonprofit organization that promotes the this beautiful planet. I want them to be able to be importance and value of travel to marginalized immersed in different cultures to broaden their and underprivileged students, The Passport Portal horizons and become global citizens.” believes that traveling can broaden the horizons Hulda knows firsthand the many merits of of the youth by giving them valuable perspectives travel that extend well past the initial feelings of and experiences they can carry with them for the excitement. Exploring different cultures allows rest of their lives. students to learn and experience new things and The company’s mission is to help qualifying open their minds to different perspectives. Living students afford and obtain a U.S. passport on their own away from their families and culture so that they may benefit from traveling helps to sharpen their sense of independence, opportunities. In addition, TPP also provides responsibility, flexibility, and self-awareness. 34 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | Jan 2022
