Reflection

I was born and raised in a small community in Madre Vieja, Dolores (a rural area in the state of Barinas, Venezuela). While growing up, I had very little exposure to other cultures and although I had family living in different parts of the country and even in different parts of the works, including the United States, I still couldn’t completely comprehend the concept of different countries and cultures. It wasn’t until the age of 13, which is when I arrived in the United States, that I finally understood just how little I knew about the outside world. My knowledge of other cultures was close to non-existent not only from personal experience but also because of the lack of proper education that my small rural school in Venezuela provided me. This meant that I had a lot to learn after arriving in Miami of all places. 

When I arrived in the United States, with no knowledge of the English language, I found myself quite lost. There was only one other Venezuelan that I knew in my school and everything else was a mix of (mainly) Cubans, Mexicans, Hondurans, Uruguayans, and Americans. The culture shock I experienced was a wake-up call for me, I wanted to learn more about cultures, I needed to. So after befriending a diverse group of people, I noticed that I wasn’t alone. There were many immigrants that like me felt lost in a foreign country, not sure where to begin or what opportunities they could even pursue. As I adapted more and more to Miami, I had the privilege of having teachers and friends that advised and supported me as I continue to seek the opportunities that I know are out there, but that not many immigrants knew about. With this goal in mind, I found out about a wonderful high school that provided me with those opportunities and so much more. School for Advanced Studies (SAS) - Wolfson Campus, was the high school that truly challenged me beyond what I thought was possible for me. 

Through this school, so many doors opened for me. From student leadership positions to summer programs that furthered enhanced my knowledge and cultural awareness. I was able to attend the Girls Who Code High School Summer Program the summer before my senior year in High School, where not only did I learn a little bit about computer programming but I was also exposed to different girls from different backgrounds with amazing ideas and goals in life. Part of our program was to develop a “final project” using what we learned during the summer and my team decided to create a website that will provide recently arrived immigrants (and any students really) which resources to survive high school, from scholarships to summer programs/ internships all in the hopes of making the transition to this country a little easier for them. After this, I found myself truly enjoying helping others find the resources needed to succeed whether academically or personally. This is how I set my eyes on Florida International University. From the first semester, I started at FIU, all I did was research the millions of opportunities that I knew the university had to offer, among them was the Global Learning Medallion Program. I knew this program would be the perfect way for me to start my college career. 

At first, I was nervous, although I had the privilege to graduate with a very diverse group of students from my high school, a university setting was a completely different territory for me. However, I didn’t allow that to stop me from enjoying my time at FIU while simultaneously growing as a global citizen. The first two years were a bit difficult, my main concern at the time was obtaining a part-time job and finding some financial stability, which meant that it was hard to be fully involved on-campus. But fortunately, I was able to obtain a job on-campus that gave me the flexibility to be more involved as a student. As I continued to research the endless opportunities that there are on-campus, I became a P.A.W Representative for the Office of Education Abroad, became part of the International Buddy Program at FIU. All while I continued to explore my options for academic development. 

Through these programs and my research, I was able to find out about Undergraduate Certificates offered by FIU. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I pursued multiple certifications that enhanced my global perspective. Some of these certifications were: Undergraduate Certificate in Latin America and Caribbean Studies, Europe and Eurasian Studies, Asian Globalization and Latin America, and Portuguese Language and Brazilian Culture Studies. Besides that, I also had the honor of serving as President for the Brazilian Culture Club, Senior Vice-President or Registration for the Registered Student Organization (RSO) Council, the RSOC Representative for the Club for Undergraduate Economics Students (CUES), and Omicron Delta Epsilon. On top of that, I also had the opportunity to study abroad in Italy for a month as I learned about the food, cinematography, cars, and economy during my time there. Thanks to these and so many other opportunities I’ve grown as a global citizen that was only possible through the Global Learning Medallion Program.

Now that I am graduating with my Bachelors of Arts in Economics and Bachelors of Arts in International Relations, I would use my experience at FIU to further grow as a global citizen. I’m planning on taking a gap year to enter the workforce and prepare myself for graduate school. I will be applying for graduate school to pursue my Master’s in Higher Education to become an Academic Advisor. With the cultural exposure I had throughout my FIU years, I’m confident that I could help make a difference in many students from all types of backgrounds as an Academic Advisor. Just like many advisors, teachers, and professors made a difference in my life, I would like to the same for the next generation. Thank you for allowing me to grow as an individual.