Greg Mortenson, the man behind the New York Times bestseller, Three Cups of Tea, because he is promoting peace in Pakistan through education

Our Meeting with Greg Mortenson

Greg Mortenson possesses certain character traits that you cannot deny. The single most striking thing about Mr. Mortenson had to be his humility. "Even though he is probably one of the most accomplished men I have ever met, he is also among the most modest. He didn't really seem to care that he was the reason that there were scores of schools; his focus was more on the fact that there are schools there now, and that there are lots more villages that need schools," says Patrick. He commanded the room not because of his accomplishments but instead because he was so receptive to the students at the book signing and cognoscente of different cultures when he spoke.

Mr. Mortenson was also very receptive to our individual interests and points of view. After the book signing, we had some time to talk to him in a more intimate setting. In this small group, he really took our questions seriously and shared his perspective on our concerns. "When we were discussing healthcare in the villages, I was particularly taken by his comment that the villages do not need big expensive changes such as MRI machines, but instead simple preventative healthcare, such as clean water, vaccinations, and basic sanitary information," says Janelle. "Going into the meeting, I was really interested to ask him about the most visible sign of improvement in the villages," says Patrick. "Mr. Mortenson responded that the single biggest change was the plummeting infant mortality rate. He then went on to explain how a community is affected by having more mouths to feed through both the short term drain on resources and the long-term consequences of having educated and health individuals," Patrick continues.

Mr. Mortenson's example was in itself very powerful. "Meeting with Greg Mortenson was very important to me. I am very passionate about the nonprofit sector and I was inspired by Mr. Mortenson's creativity and commitment for community development," says Dima. We also had the opportunity to ask him about the best way for our generation to follow his example and influence others through our actions. "From Mr. Mortenson, I learned that we should not get caught up in trying to make a specific change. We need to instead listen to the people affected by our actions and help bring about the change that is actually important to them. This is so simple but something I had not thought of before the GrassBranches meeting, which makes me very grateful for the opportunity," says Caitlin.