Reflection
When I began FIU, I’ll have to admit that I was a shy, timid young high schooler that didn’t necessarily know how to take advantage of all the resources FIU had to offer me. After I came back from spending a year away from Miami, living on my own for the first time, and discovering my true passion for hospitality I knew I was ready to be a force to be reckoned with and was going to demonstrate it stepping foot inside of SASC with a meeting with my advisor, Sanjay Dhawan. Throughout the completion of my courses and requisites, my advisor suggested looking into the Global Medallion Program. Naively, I was already taking Global Learning courses to expand my views and perspectives into a whole new global perspective.
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The way I view things in such a Global Perspective are completely different thanks to the Global Learning Medallion Program and its various offerings. I have been able to analyze such a variety of courses and shape the way how I think, listen, and even make decisions! I am thankful for being able to start conversations with others from other cultures and ethnicities and apply what I have learned from the events, internships, courses, and mentors throughout my time in the program. Throughout the numerous courses I took surrounding Global Learning my Global Awareness makes me intrigued as to what I could do to be more knowledgeable about being a leader in a global perspective, for example, or what should I do to make people more aware about how immigration should not be seen in a negative light. Be a fountain of information for someone that may not comprehend the importance of constantly being an active citizen and be understanding of where people come from, their struggles, and pursuit to a land of opportunities. Working through my Capstone Project I was able to be engaged globally constantly. While I was completing my Disney College Program, I was able to connect with so many guests at a global level, I would have the opportunity to learn different ways to acknowledge the guest and learn more about where they were from and why they decided to visit and understand their preferences to help them feel at home. I was also fortunate enough to be a Disney Volunt”ear” and change a Make a Wish child’s vacation through a simple interaction and some ice cream. Recently, I volunteered to assist the FIU Pollinator club and compost scraps of food from the Chaplin School’s kitchen, it felt amazing to be a part of a group that wanted to compost and assist in cleaning up part of the nature preserve so that we could better serve the planet. It is experiences like these have made me want to continue being engaged within my industry and community even beyond the program.
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Despite my undergraduate studies coming to end, my journey continues on. I am going to continue expanding my global perspective within my industry as I will begin pursing my Master of Science in Hospitality Management here at FIU starting this Fall. As I think and reflect on the young girl that walked into FIU a couple of years ago, I am happy to reflect on my experiences, internships, and all the opportunities that FIU offered me and how I was able to grow as an individual in an educationally and personally. The Global Learning Medallion Program has assisted me in learning more about the impacts we have on the world and how we can strive to be not biased based on perspectives, cultures, races, or history of others. I will take my learnings through this program and continue evolving these global views through every decision and thought process as I continue my ongoing strive to be a leader within my industry within my near future and persuade a student to participate in this program to see how it changes their life in such a positive light.