During my time at Florida International University, I have been fortunate enough to be apart of the Global Learning Medallion Program. I took a number of courses and had an array of experiences that helped me see things from a fresh perspective while still becoming more aware. 

      Global Awareness is the idea that all of the issues happening in our world are not singular but rather they are nestled together, creating a ripple effect. It can be very easy to take an issue and downplay its role because it is not directly happening to us. However, throughout my time in the program, I have been shown just how critical that ripple effect is and how essential it is to take into consideration other people's points of view. As part of the program, I participated in a research survey being conducted at the University. The survey included a series of short articles regarding issues occurring in different parts of the world and post questions to see what we thought about the issue. Each question made me reconsider the assumptions I had made while initially reading and think about things I had not considered. This survey is just one example of how the program has helped me shift toward more global awareness. 

      The concept of a global perspective refers to a person taking alternative points of view when coming to a decision. In essence, it refers to putting global awareness into consideration when making small decisions. Whereas, the concept of global engagement refers to having the zeal to join in and be a part of the solution. Every experience I have had as part of the program had helped to put these three sequential ideas into practice. Each experience offered a new perspective I had yet to consider which led to me developing a more global perspective and to become more involved in creating change. I have noticed a big change in the way I try to make decisions since I have joined the program. 

      As my time in the program comes to a close with graduation, I am looking forward to integrating the concepts I have learned into my future. I have already started to make changes that I will take with me for the rest of my life. For example, after participating in an interview about climate change, I learned a lot more about the topic than I had ever known before. I had always found the issue to be an important one but until I participated in the interview I was not aware of what a difference I could be making and how I could be contributing to the change I wanted to see in terms of climate. After the interview, I took what I had learned and did some research to implement some changes in my everyday life like switching my lightbulbs to be more energetically efficient. Changes like this one and all the other perspectives I have gained are something I see taking with me into my future endeavors and decisions. Professionally, I would like to open a dental practice once I graduate from dental school and I have been looking into ways that other offices are making themselves more environmentally friendly so that I know what options I can take into consideration when I get to that point. 

        In addition to the perspectives I have gained I have also gained a number of skills from my experiences. I feel as though I have greatly improved upon my civic responsibility, especially through activities like the Tuesday Roundtables which has opened my eyes to different issues going in the world that are being discussed in the New York Times. Each week a different topic was discussed and has exposed me to a number of new ideas. I have been working on playing a more active role in each of the issues even if it was just in a small way. For example, one discussion spoke about the government and creating change. By way of making a difference to the cause and enacting my civic responsibility, I worked with an organization called Vote Riders to send nonpartisan letters encouraging other Florida citizens to vote in the most recent election. In addition to civic responsibility, I also feel as though I have strengthened my interpersonal interactions and communication skills. As part of the program, I attended a number of activities that dealt with other students I had not met before. I participated in the Peer Lead Team Learning Program as a Peer Leader and Supervisor. Each week I met with students to discuss different topics in Biology and each week I got better at communicating, facilitating conversation, and getting to know the other students. The International Buddy Program was also a great way to strengthen these skills because I met with my buddies on a biweekly basis throughout the semester.  

     All in all, the Global Learning Program has made a great impact on me and whom I would like to become in the future.