REFLECTION

     Graduating from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies is the biggest milestone I have accomplished in my short 21 years of life. If you were to ask me four years ago what I was going to graduate with, my previous statement would not be true. The first year and a half of my college career was spent in an entirely different major, Animal Sciences. It wasn’t until I learned about the International Scholars Program (ISP) and Peace Corps Prep Program that my life was about to change forever.

     The Fall of my sophomore year was spent taking classes I struggled in no matter how long I studied or many hours I spent in office hours. I came to the realization during my 5th week of the semester that math and science classes just weren’t for me. That paired with me longing to take another Italian language class is what made me search for a new major. I degree shopped online knowing that I wanted to take Italian classes and agricultural classes as well. That was when I found the International Studies major with a focus on Europe that fulfilled both of my desires. This was when I also learned about a new program called the International Scholars Program. I attended the first info session I could and set up a meeting to talk with the program director at that time about me switching majors and joining the program. After speaking to her, I knew that it was a perfect fit. She also talked to me about the Peace Corps which is a nonprofit I didn’t even know existed. After more research on it and after attending my first campus life event where a Peace Corps Volunteer shared her first year on the job, I knew that this is what I wanted to do after graduation.

     The International Scholars Program and Peace Corps Prep Program was the light I found when I was going through a dark time in my college career. Joining this program opened so many doors in my life. Academically I was enjoying the classes I was taking and actually succeeding in each and every one of them. I was able to study abroad to the country of my dreams, Italy, as well as go on a service learning agroecology trip in Costa Rica. Most importantly I discovered the Peace Corps and achieved my goal of becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer upon graduating from the University of Florida.

     Through all the coursework, campus life events, international experience and language learning that the International Scholars Program made me accomplish, I was able to become more globally aware of the world I live in, parts of the world I lived in, and parts of the world I will be living in. Learning how to navigate through different cultures was no easy task yet it is something I will continue to learn for the rest of my life. Ernesto Arguello once said, “we all have different inspirations, but one goal: a better world.” Thanks to the International Scholars Program, I am prepared to make this world a better one.