Salva Dut

To start, I'm a student that has read Long Walk to Water. Salva's story has inspired me in many ways. I have started to appreciate what I have because now I know just because I am fortunate does not mean everyone else is. Once I finished the book, it made me want to give back to my community. I want to start my organization to help others. I want to inspire people, just like he did. I would like to tutor the less fortunate students, so they have a chance to get a good education. I noticed that he never gave up on himself or anyone else. I admire that about him. He also never stopped wanting to help people. Salva is a big inspiration to my peers and me. His life is a tragic, beautiful story. I'm glad I got to read it and put myself in his shoes.

After reading about Salva and his story, I learned many life lessons from him. I learned that just because I have water does not mean everyone does. I started to appreciate what I have and stop complaining because I do have everything under the sun. I also learned to have hope even when you're at your lowest. You have so much to lose, just have hope. I will continue to have hope even when things seem so hopeless. The biggest thing I learned after reading the book was to work towards my goals and attain them. Salva never stopped wanting to help people. He kept that in mind when he realized he wanted to help the community of Sudan. In the book it says, “Day by day, solving one problem at a time, Salva moved toward his goal.” This quote inspired me to keep going and never give up. The quote gave me perseverance. This quote also is one of the reasons I continue to push towards my goals and attain them. Lastly, I learned to never give up and to have patience. I learned to keep going even when I want to stop. I learned to have patience and everything will come to me as long as I believe and have a good mindset. He never gave up when it took years to start his organization. Salva never gave up. When he wanted to stop and rest, he kept walking. 

In addition to reading the book and taking tests about the book, we also did a lot of other assignments in my class. They helped me connect with Salva and understand his life better. I did an assignment where I had to compare and contrast his life to another Lost Boy of Sudan, and I had to be in his shoes, and I do not think I have met another person that is as strong as he is. Salva has gone through so much. I don't know how he managed to stay strong. He continued to have hope and perseverance throughout the time he was walking. I have done many assignments where I dive deep into his life and understand him and his community. It started badly because it was hard putting myself in someone else's shoes that I have met never in real life. After a while, it started to become easier and easier. I just had to pretend that I lived in the community of Sudan. Lastly, I did an assignment on why running water is important. I never knew running water had so much importance to different communities. I was shocked to find out that clean running water can help the economy and can help education.

I plan on donating to different organizations constantly, to show my appreciation for the things I have that others don’t, such as healthcare, water, food, clothes, etc. I also plan on working in a soup kitchen, food banks, or a nursing home. I want to give back to my community the same way he did. I plan to donate old clothes or clothes I don't wear to organizations that will give them to other girls to wear. Lastly, I plan to travel and help people everywhere. I also plan to start an organization to help children and adults everywhere get a better education. I am so lucky to have an education, I want to help the ones that don’t have a good education. I want to be a big asset to my community. I want to make a change in the world. I know it all starts from my corner of the world. 

As a result, I plan on helping my community from this day forward. I want my community to be a better place for children, adults, and everyone. I will continue to shine a light on my corner of the world, so that way I can make the world just a little bit brighter. Salva has such a beautiful soul and a kind heart. I hope he continues to have that. I continue to be inspired by his life story every day. I learn something new about him every day and it’s beautiful to know that he has such an amazing personality. I just want to thank him for inspiring me to give back and become a better person. He has had a tremendous impact on my life. I’m really happy I learned about him and his story. Thank you for all the life lessons you have taught me, Salva