Jessica Jackley GIP Reflection

Recently, Jessica Jackley visited Poly to give a presentation on microfinance. Initially, I wasn’t sure what to expect since I’ve never taken an economics class and don’t consider myself well versed in that field. Despite my lack of prior knowledge about the subject, I ended up learning so much from her presentation. Jessica’s presentation was not unrelatable, like I had expected a conversation all about money to be. She actually talked about human experiences, far from the bland conversation I expected microfinance to pan out to. She talked about empathy, love, understanding, and growing up, and I truly related to her presentation in profound ways. Jessica talked about how she fell into her work through accidental circumstances, and how a lot of smaller decisions led her to do something she's so passionate about. Jessica talked a lot about how she wanted to do good in the world but felt like the only way to do so was unattainable. She talked about how donating to organizations was too indirect to know the effects of her actions, and she didn’t know how else to help causes she cared about. Her company, Kiva, takes away the anonymity of donating, and it allows people to help in big ways through smaller loans. It is a great platform for those who can’t afford to donate thousands of dollars to connect with people whom they can actually help in substantial ways. I loved hearing about Jessica’s life, her inspiration, and about her family, and I was so excited to be introduced to her great organization.