# @princetonspia on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CXTzbzdBBSH
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/20742230-princetonspia-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/a6214ea3b7.jpg
- **Posted:** 2021-12-10T16:42:33.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Princeton SPIA (@princetonspia) — https://gondola.cc/princetonspia

## Caption

#PolicyProfile: “I counted beads. Every day. For hours — in Kunming, China. The place I worked during my princeton novogratzbridgeyear program was a jewelry business at its core, but it was more than that. It was an organization dedicated to helping women get out of sex trafficking. There were days I would sit and count thousands of these teensy, tiny beads, and, at times, I would feel disillusioned asking myself, ‘How am I serving by counting beads all day?’ Then, I realized I was making things more efficient and allowing them to have a bigger impact. Each bead that I counted, I was making a difference. Because of that experience, I learned that service is not about fulfilling your own aspirations of what you want service to be, it's about how you can be the most effective for others. Through the Bridge Year experience, newly admitted undergrads can engage in global community-engaged learning before coming to campus. Nothing about my bridge year experience was easy, and I loved that. I was challenged every day with navigating the cultural nuances of living with a host family who grew up in a different generation — in a different world. On top of working at the jewelry store and living with my host family, I studied Chinese at a local university. Going into my gap year, I knew I wanted an experience that wasn’t just about traveling, but about growing as a person, too. And I got just that. I’ve spent my time at Princeton studying Chinese culture and language, but my policy interests are evolving more broadly. I’m taking advantage of the resources offered here to increase my knowledge and use it to connect with people around the world. I would love to use my interest in journalism and knowledge of China and the Chinese language to write about it in a way that connects the public to these stories.” — Francesca Block ‘22, SPIA Student Advisory Committee. #PolicyProfile is an Instagram series that features members of our community. Want to be featured? Comment/DM us. #AtSPIAWeServe #AtSPIAWeRise #BridgeYearMoment

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- **Likes:** 140
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## Tags

atspiawerise, policyprofile, atspiaweserve, bridgeyearmoment

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