Carlo Govantes recently graduated from Rock University High School in Janesville, Wisconsin. He was selected by the Governing Board of his school to be the leader of a five-member team during the Critical Issues Forum’s Spring 2015 Conference in Hiroshima, Japan. Carlo was selected by the Board because of his passion and vision for peace and security via international diplomacy.
This is a particularly amazing feat considering Carlo’s unique childhood experience; until 2011, he lived in the United States without legal status. However, in 2013, President Obama provided Carlo with the opportunity to apply for status as a “Dreamer”. The Dream Act allows immigrants who have grown up in the United States to obtain a temporary permit to remain in the U.S. for work and education. Under the Dream Act, Carlo now has legal status, which allowed him to apply for permission to travel to Hiroshima and participate in CIF. The experience also gave him faith in the U.S. system in that they recognized his genuine desire to improve upon the quality of life for the country and worldwide.
As a young boy, Carlo noted he had a strong fascination with Japan, including an interest in culture, history, and an origami hobby. He became an unofficial member of the 2014 CIF team by developing an international friendship between students from Rock University High School and Kwassui High School, from Nagasaki, Japan. The direct result of Carlo’s leadership and professionalism was an invitation during the 2015 Conference from Kwassui High School to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for intercultural partnership.
Carlo’s interest in peace and security grew by leaps and bounds during his participation in CIF. The conference introduced him head on to the dangers of nuclear weapons and their role in politics. It also demonstrated to him that peace between nations would be easier without such weapons standing on hair-trigger alert.
In meeting with Japanese high school students, Carlo learned that many of them have a passion for peace and a drive to further educate the rest of the world on the risk humans are taking with nuclear weapons. Carlo feels that students in Japan are much more aware of the challenges presented by nuclear weapons. He even learned that Japanese schools often have peace clubs, which tackle international issues such as nonproliferation and disarmament.
The CIF project became a bridge for him to make partnerships with schools in Japan and within the U.S. It also deepened his knowledge of nuclear disarmament. Like all relationships among countries, Carlo noted that it is important to keep strengthening ties to one another. It is important that both Japanese and U.S. high school students learn from the mistakes of the past and consequently, how to prevent future mistakes in disarmament. Not only is working together important for reaching the goals of peace and security; it is the only way.
As a graduating student, the experience of participating in CIF impacted both Carlo’s career path and his major. It inspired him to work towards not only an engineering career, but also to a path of education for future generations. He has decided on attending college to learn various abilities such as software development, engineering, and International business. Carlo will be the second child in his family to attend college in the United States, and he accredits that directly to CIF. It showed him why continuing to study would be the best way to support both my family and to reach his dreams.
Carlo has stated that he will continue to work hard towards a career that can influence peace and promote hope for friendships between nations through diplomacy and the exchange of culture. He recommends that current students take part in the experiences CIF has to offer, thinking hard on the problems at hand and what kind of solutions they can create. He will be forever grateful for the opportunity to be a part of CIF’s legacy.
