Scott Rumpsa, South Africa
South Africa, 2005-06
I’ve had three main positions since my time at GVSU. My first was at
Aqua Clara International, a water and sanitation focused nonprofit.
While at ACI, I launched and grew their field program in Kenya - still
going strong today. Thereafter, I joined Nuru International, a
multi-sector rural development program, leading their Kenyan country
program. Following this, I moved to Washington, DC, taking a
management position at Global Integrity, an international nonprofit
focused on anticorruption, accountability and transparency work. While
back in DC, I’ve been pursuing my MBA with a certificate in nonprofit
management from The George Washington University.
The Padnos scholarship was foundational to my current career and
success. At GVSU, I was exploring a number of potential career options
- working to find that delightful blend of passion and making a
living. I sought the Padnos scholarship to explore the deeply unequal
society that is South Africa, and was able to not only spend a full
semester at the University of Cape Town, but was able to spend another
full semester living and working in a township. This experience
allowed me to experience solidarity with the poor, on a sustained
basis, for the first real time in my life. It was something I could
not ignore, and it shaped my choice to move into international
development as a career. Furthermore, living and working abroad for a
full year, under the auspices of the Padnos Scholarship, provided me
not only with the experience, but also the credibility, to find my
first job in the international sector.
