Reflection
The International Scholars Program has given me the opportunity to translate my global experiences to make a difference on campus. It’s surreal to see how far I have come since I first came onto campus as a freshman. Back then, I felt apprehensive to getting involved in the international community because I didn’t think it would make of a difference to my college experience and being an “American-born Chinese”, I felt disconnected to my roots even though I was born into a Chinese family. All the customs, beliefs, and traditions had been lost as my family was assimilating to the American lifestyle to create opportunities for me and sister in hopes that we both would live a more prosperous life. Growing up, it was a challenge to live in a predominantly white community. As I grew more comfortable in my own skin, it became important for me to understand my identity on a deeper level by learning more about my culture and my nationality. . I decided to take a leap of faith to study abroad the end of my sophomore and beginning of junior summer because I felt I was beginning to lose my Chinese language. Studying abroad and completing the International Scholars Program helped me not only fulfill this goal but I also got to experience other cultures all over the world through my interaction at campus events and organization. The rich history, language, people, traditions, and customs. Not only did this experience bridge a gap between my nationality and my identity, but it also help me better appreciate the land from which my own parents came from.
When I first considered studying abroad, I was faced with an overwhelming challenge to stay on top of my course-work. As a combined degree student candidate for the Master of Science in Information Systems and Operations Management program, I have to simultaneously complete two different sets of classes required for undergraduate school and graduate schools. In order to study abroad, I had to take a rigorous course load over last summer term and continue to take more classes on top of my core classes during the academic year. As a first-generation student, academics has always been my main focus. As with many traditional Chinese families, my parents taught me to treat academics as my first priority and believed extracurricular activities were insignificant compared to academics. Despite that, extracurricular has often given me unique experiences shaping me into a more a well-rounded individual over the course of my academic career and thus, I see study abroad as an extracurricular. When I came back from this amazing 3 month experience, I learned that I wanted to continue developing my communication skills and encourage international students on campus as the students I met on my study abroad had done for me. The time management skills I learned my time abroad came played a significant role in my weekly planning and has helped me become a more prepared student.
As my time at the UF is slowly coming to an end, ISP has provided me a way to express and culminate my experiences into a format that I can easily share with others. My college has been enriched from my international experience as it has helped me sharpen my professional goals, accomplish my academic goals, improve my language skills, and learn ways to improve in the business field. A big part of my gratitude for my international journey goes towards Gilman and for that reason, I want to challenge others who are in the same position that coming from a traditionally disadvantaged background should not limit the chances of studying abroad as well. As I enter the workforce, I know my experiences on campus and as an ISP alumni will greatly impact my post-graduation life. I am so excited for this next chapter of my life and I can’t wait to see where my next journey will take me.