As a Cuban American, living in the culturally diverse melting pot, that is Miami, my ethnicity is a prominent part of my identity. Previous to becoming a Florida International University student, I do believe my cultural background influenced my social interactions because many of my friends and academic colleagues had the same background as I. However, at FIU, where everyone is of a different background and ethnicity, I learned various points of view that I had not previously considered. In order to broaden my understanding of different cultures and perspectives, I decided I would do my best to immerse myself in experiences that pushed my boundaries and challenged my cultural norms. 

 

These decisions led me to a study abroad program in the United Kingdom, where I fully immersed myself into a different culture and independently sought out who I was and who I wanted to be. During my time abroad, I gained a newfound pride for my ethnicity as well as a better understanding and appreciation for the diversity of humanity. There is much to learn from individuals who have different perspectives and life experiences, as was evident in the various personalities I met while abroad. In this new culture being of Cuban descent was not a characteristic shared by the masses, and for the first time I felt myself distant from my cultural identity. However, my own perspectives and experiences served as learning opportunities for others, just as theirs did for me.  

 

As a representative of FIU during my time abroad, I gained an appreciation for my university, that allowed me to embrace my own identity as well as learn of others and gain new perspectives on various topics. As an aspiring pre-health professional, these experiences will serve me well in my career as I will need to understand my patients, empathize with their experiences, and build relationships of trust.

 

I further sought to expand my global experiences through a service trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina through FIU’s Alternative breaks Program. Here, I experienced true cultural shock, as I was immersed into a very impoverished community with little access to basic necessities such as food and shelter. My time in Buenos Aires taught me many things about myself and the type of physician I aspire to be, as it is easy to live life with a blind eye to situations that you do not fully understand and difficult to admit to your own privilege. Prior to this experience, I can say that I did not understand the difficulties faced by people in poverty. For them, with every day comes a new set of challenges that I have never had to face such as a question of when they will be able to have their next meal. Although my time in Argentina was short, I would hope that some of the things I did will serve to help those I met on their journey and I hope that in the future I will have the means to do more. 

 

To be a global learning student, I believe means to be globally aware of the challenges that are faced by others. My time at FIU has taught me many things in regard to this as well as what I have learned through my invaluable life experiences abroad. At FIU, I further looked to directly impact my community by creating my own student organization, Pre-Health Young at Heart. Young at Heart was inspired by a drive to connect pre-health professional students to the geriatric community through service and philanthropy. In doing this, I hoped to establish a culture at FIU that aimed to teach others about the trouble faced by the geriatric community that is often underrepresented in medicine and society. Overall, these experiences have had a transformative experience on who I am, and the type of person I hope to become. I have realized the importance of being immersed both in my community and in global affairs, in the hope of one day making an impact.