First of all I would like to say thank you to God for giving me the intelligence to learn and to understand others. Secondly I would like to say a big thank you to the admission committee of Florida International University, for accepting me to be part of this wonderful school. Thirdly an enormous thank you to Eric and the staff of Global Learning program for giving me the opportunity to be a member of this community at FIU. 

​

While I was completing this program, I was able to benefit from different departments at FIU. However, it was not really an easy experience for me. Because I usually take 5 or 6 classes every semester and I live in Fort Lauderdale, it was very difficult for me to earn GL Medallion activity points. Therefore I had to make a lot of sacrifices in order to attend the panel discussions.

​

To participate in these activity points, I had to do a lot of changes in my life, especially my time management. I often have tendency to procrastinate with my assignments, but since I've been enrolled in this program I had to rethink everything again. I had to try to complete my assignments in advance all the time so I can make space in my schedule , so whenever I'm on campus, I can take advantage of any ongoing activities. While completing this program, it was amazing to discover how I develop my time management skills.

​

While acquiring the activity points , I also had the opportunity to develop my language skills. I went to a couple activities where the guest speakers were talking mostly in Portuguese. I had to pay a lot of attention to follow the speakers and take notes. I remembered that I chose these activities just to challenge myself and to develop my listening comprehension skills.

At the end of the events, I asked questions but this experience completely convinced me that listening skills are very important and it's an amazing step for a language learner.

​

The more events and global learning courses I attended, the more I loved the program. These activity points taught me a lot about some places around the world. It increased my level of understanding of those around me and give me a great ability to accept others. Before I attended the program I was not used to accept others and often try to judge them without trying to understand them.

​

Now, I've come to understand that we are all different and we should all try to respect each other by accepting them the way they are. Honestly, acceptance was one of the most difficult skills to develop while I was attending this program. I learned to be very careful with the media and the internet. I also tried to be more tolerant of others and treat all people the same without paying attention to their gender, their background and their race. This experience helped me to develop some strong skills , such as communication and self motivation to become a better leader in what I do.

 

As a Political Science and International Relations major, who possesses certificates in Middle East Studies, Latin America, Caribbean Studies, European and Eurasian studies, Globalization Asian continent, National Security, Global Black studies and  Language and Culture of North Africa;  I’ve always had the interest to travel the world, discover the challenges that the world face and the mysteries hidden and untold. 

 

In fact, my Global Learning experience really taught me a lot about people and inspire me to advocate more for those who don't have a voice. Honestly I learned some beautiful things about many places around the world, the intelligence community, Islam, Middle East, Latin America and Africa. To conclude, I'm proud to say that YES it was fascinating to be a member of the GLOBAL LEARNING MEDALLION AT FIU.