One of the first things I learned after graduating from Boston Latin School is that the world is connected by three things only; land, sea, and the intimate relationships that people make with each other. My name is Stephen Caruso, and the reason I chose to pursue both the Ward Fellowship and a career in public service is to explore those relationships that so bind people together, while helping to create a world where everyone is given an equal opportunity to live the life that they want to live.
Having grown up in an upper-middle class family on the outskirts of Boston, I am lucky enough to have been surrounded by a loving family who made me their central focus. In all honesty, the hardest part about growing up in suburban West Roxbury is having to take a bus to the nearest train station. Less than three miles away in Mattapan, children like me grow up not with love by their side, but with poverty, fear, and hunger. Knowing the hardships and lack of choice that others have to face so close to where I live, it is difficult for me to justify my life of wealth without promising that I will do something to give back to the city that gave to me.
In essence, my goal for the future is to help the greatest amount of people I can. Whether that means becoming a diplomat, a politician, or a journalist a la Spotlight, I know not. All I know for certain is that I hold a passion for people and a passion for helping others. The Ward Fellowship encompasses those passions, and has given me an invaluable chance to meet with other likeminded people who are passionate about the same things I am. With this opportunity, I hope to grow into a person who can confidently say that he has left the world a better place than when he found it.