Derik Schmidt
Hello all, my name is Derik. I am currently an undergraduate student at Azusa Pacific University majoring in Global Studies. I have lived all of my life in a small town on the Central Coast called Atascadero, so I am fairly new to a diverse area and public transportation services. I recently have found a deep passion within me to work with kids, in particular, orphans. I believe that kids have the ability and power to make huge change in the world and that they only need to be motivated and encouraged to do so. Because of this passion of mine, some friends and I have started to work on our very own organization called U25, which partners with oprhanages globally. I have had great opportunites to travel to Thailand and Mexico to work with kids. Also I have spent the last two summers at Hume Lake Christian Camps working with kids ranging from ages 8-18. I find enjoyment in hearing people's stories and what they have done with their lives. Because of this I find myself talking to most people that I encounter. I tend to have a lot of energy and love to use that energy to play soccer and most other sports as well. I also enjoy learning languages and have taken classes in Mandarin and Spanish and I also know a little Thai and, of course, English.