Ana C. Correa

          Prior to starting FIU, I had developed curiosity for other countries and their cultures. While this was shaped by American culture and trendy list of what countries everyone ought to visit in their 20s, I begin to realize that how our culture represents other countries can be far from the reality.  Once at FIU, I was amazed by the diversity of the student body and how in my first day, I had met people from Pakistan, Ghana, South Africa, Curacao, and Cuba.  Within this first day, stereotypes and assumptions begin to fade, as I learned that generalizing groups of people was unfair to their culture.

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One of my favorite activities at FIU has been taking Global Learning courses. While required, it has never felt like a burden, and I have looked for them specifically when registering for classes. These classes differ from the rest because of their global component to present multiple perspectives about an issue. They have taught me to question the mainstream narrative, and search for other narratives that are not so commonly shared. I have applied this when learning about environmental issues, topics of security, religious conflict, and cultural conflict. It has also lead me to be more understanding when addressing an issue with someone with opposite viewpoints, as I am able to discern that their experiences are likely to have shaped how they think, and most likely I do not share the same experiences. While not justifying their viewpoints, this has allowed me to be more open about establishing an open dialogue and understand where they come from. 

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My global awareness and perspective have change by understanding how interconnected our world is. From everyday objects such as our school and cleaning supplies to our clothes, all essential materials do not come from U.S. soil alone. They are gathered and extracted from all over the world, and not without consequences. Our 'saving deals' at a retail store do not come without a cost, they come at the expense of low production cost payed by low wagers for workers in other countries. The dumping of our electronics does not end when we put it out to the curb for pick up, it ends in a e-waste site in China polluting the air and causing airborne illnesses for its population. The list can go on and on, because the world has become deeply interconnected. 

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With this in mind, along with my studies (International Relations and Geography), I have decided to continue learning more about this interconnections through the study of trans-boundary waters.  As the essential source to living, water bodies are not concerned with political boundaries and thus cross from one country to another with no limits. Thus, the treatment of water in one country can then affect the quality and quantity of water in another country. Therefore, with the growing scarcity of water, I plan to study hydro-politics and be able to apply what I have learned through the medallion program about cross-cultural communication and analytical reasoning.

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