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I learned about giving back from my family.

My mother and I volunteered with Meals On Wheels, preparing and delivering food for the homeless on chilly Washington, D.C., nights. My parents both journalists who spent a lot of time reporting from war zones often talked about the critical work of organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, whose work they had witnessed firsthand.

As a result, I became aware of the world's humanitarian crises by the time I hit my teens. As I learned about the worsening environmental crisis, I realized that reducing our negative impact on the planet would be my generation's defining responsibility.

Beyond reducing our carbon footprints, I learned that using solar technology is the best path toward a cleaner, more responsible future. After years of supporting environmental and humanitarian aid groups, I was elated to discover a grass-roots organization tackling both issues.

I learned about Power Up Gambia two years ago when I presented an award to its founder, Kathryn Cunningham Hall. The concept was brilliant: outfitting hospitals and clinics in The Gambia with solar panels to generate the electricity they lack