Will Schwartz brings Worldly Experiences to South Bend

In the summer of 2017, I realized working a desk job left me wanting more, it’s not something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I needed to take a step back, figure out how to reevaluate my life and discover what I’m truly passionate about and what I want to accomplish. My next decision fell in line with my all or nothing attitude towards life.

I’ve always pushed my limits. Whether it was doing winter survival campouts in freezing weather, or boarding a flight to South Korea for a study exchange program without knowing any of the language–this time was no different. Slowly but surely, I started selling my belongings, with plans to buy a one-way ticket to somewhere extreme.

I decided what could be more extreme than the end of the world! I booked my ticket to “Fin del Mundo” or “The End of the World”, the world’s southernmost city, Ushuaia, Argentina. Most Antarctic Expeditions leave from Ushuaia, so I haggled for a last minute deal to the frozen continent, and it was the most naturally beautiful place I had ever seen.

After returning to South America, I started making my way up the continent. Along the way, I was struck by the kindness of all the people I met in those regions. I realized I wanted to protect natural places that are under threat due to human consumption, and give back kindness to others by teaching them the importance of sustainability.

I became a dive instructor in Honduras which helped me educate people how to properly appreciate our oceans without harming them and watched the goodness of my students spread information on sustainability. While I loved traveling the world and being a dive instructor, it came to halt when the chaos of Covid-19 detained me in Australia.

Like many others I ended up being stuck in Australia during the pandemic, I was unable to work or move, so I decided I would make the best of my situation. I went back to school to complete a Master of Development Practice at the University of Queensland, this degree looked critically at all aspects of “development” focusing on community and international development. It taught me the importance of inclusivity, intersectionality, and working with nature, not against it, in creating a sustainable future.

Upon finishing my degree, I was led to enFocus because of their ideology of regional development through innovation. enFocus creates innovative solutions and empowers the local economy through social projects that focus on giving citizens skills and knowledge they need to improve themselves. In turn, the citizens improve their communities and give back to the region.

Just like my travels, I am excited to work with enFocus because it focuses on working with its surrounding community and environment–not against it. I can’t wait to bring my perspective of the world to the South Bend-Elkhart community.