Irene Delgado

Throughout my life, I have always been eager to learn about other cultures. As I came back to FIU a few years ago, I knew that I wanted to actively engage in the university community as a way to meet other students who had different interests. However, I was unsure how I would accomplish it as I had been removed from the college environment for so long. Little did I know that the “how” would come through one of my first courses, “COM 3461 Intercultural Communication”. This course would mark the beginning of my journey into understanding the concept of global awareness, perspective, and engagement.

 

Although I thought that I was an intentional learner who actively looked for opportunities to understand others, I realized that I was not stepping outside of my comfort zone in the process. It was then, that I learned about the Global Learning Medallion Program and its vast opportunities to become more aware about global issues impacting our local communities. By participating, I could meet students who shared different viewpoints, while actively engaging in different experiences with a global focus. Nonetheless, it would take me another year to enroll in the program while I slowly integrated into the student community. As I reflect about my slow decision process, I was most certainly nervous about the unknown.  I knew that some learning experiences would push my thinking into global topics that I had not been brave enough to delve into. I always felt that it represented being afraid of knowing the realities of people experiencing extreme circumstances while feeling a sense of helplessness. I would come to later understand that I am not as powerless as I think, but that through active engagement in the local and worldwide communities I can also make a difference.

 

Thus I continued to enroll in global learning courses, as I increasingly became more curious about the program. Finally I thought why not! How beneficial it would be for me as a student, a future educator, and as a lifelong learner to take part in it? Thus, I am glad that I took on the challenge, as my involvement in the program exceeded my expectations. Although at times I would find it difficult to learn about stories from people in unthinkable situations, I knew THAT kind of awareness would put me in a position of contributing through engagement. Through the numerous Tuesday Times Roundtable attended, I gained further awareness into global issues, such as the effects pollution has on children from disadvantaged regions; also extended my thinking as the conversations promoted questioning how one interprets global issues depending on where you come from. Additionally, I gained global perspective by attending events like the United Nations Aim for the World which helped me understand the different ways we all can take part in helping to achieve the sustainable goals across all nations. This event was very insightful, as I met students from other disciplines who were very eager to share their thoughts on how one could actively engage in promoting these changes. It made me realize the value on collaborating across different viewpoints as a way to promote solutions to global challenges. Furthermore, these kinds of exchanges promoted my ability to become more open-minded, flexible, and learned the skills on how to best communicate ideas beyond language and cultural differences. Afterwards, I was even more inspired to actively engage in my community and continue learning the path to become a global citizen. Consequently, I would later on decide to conduct my capstone research project far away from home.

 

In this once in a lifetime involvement, I spent six weeks in India during the summer of 2017. The focus of this project was to expand my knowledge in the field of primary education by looking through the lenses of a different culture. This was one of the most valuable experiences I’ve had in the program, as I was able to use the skills of communicating across cultures which I acquired in my global learning courses. My goal was to learn and understand the early childhood education field from the Indian perspective. After visiting a total of 10 schools in 2 cities, talking to teachers, and observing diverse learning environments I was encouraged by all I had seen. Regardless of cultural differences, I found numerous similarities in the way our countries approach education in the early years. As I go on to become a teacher, I will take on this experience by thinking as myself as a global citizen, one who sees herself as part of a big education community beyond national borders. I will continue to apply the skills I learned through the program while supporting students and families who may have different viewpoints than myself. This is the kind of collaboration and engagement I am most looking forward to, as it is inspired in collective ideas.