I am a Global Learner

Growing up in a multiracial household has always left me in a state of curiosity about myself, and where I fit into this world. I felt as if there were no bounds to where learning about my culture and heritage could take me. I was born in South Florida and raised in Spur Tree, Manchester, Jamaica. Leaving the U.S. at a young age terrified me because I was being stripped of everything I had ever known and placed into a brand-new environment. Nothing is scarier than feeling alone in a place where you have never spent more than one week on vacation, and now you must call this place "home". Nevertheless, as time progressed, I used this to my advantage and turned it into an experience that not many could understand. Once I graduated from high school, I set the bar high and managed to move back to Florida to pursue higher education. I enrolled in Broward College where I grounded myself to become immersed in studying Biological Sciences. I then transferred to FIU, where everything changed. 

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My transition to FIU brought back memories of at first, feeling like a fish out of water. A campus so large, and so diverse, I never thought that this would bring me some of the happiest memories that I will always remember. I found myself becoming more involved with the community once I joined the Quantifying Biology in the Classroom (QBIC) program, which allowed me to enroll in my structured science classes, and my first global learning course, Sociology of Gender. This class piqued my interest and helped me learn more about societal culture and the so-called "rules" that were made for us as the world evolved. So many countries around the world share different opinions of how gender is perceived, where some are more open to learning than others. This is where I first recognized that global perspective, awareness, and engagement are important for dealing with complex societal and community issues. Just because people are different and may not share the same values/opinions/beliefs does not mean that we must treat anyone differently than how we would our loved ones or people we care about. This also brought me closer to my desire to become involved in Phi Delta Epsilon Medical Fraternity. As a student who aspires to go into health care, many disparities are due to the lack of knowledge of various cultural norms and values that should be taken into consideration when treating patients. I found myself becoming part of the DEI committee where my team and I successfully provided our fellow fraters with information about diversity, equity, and inclusion of religions, cultures, and disabilities. Being able to inform others while still learning some of the information myself makes me feel great knowing that these future doctors have learned more about how to navigate cultural and societal customs. 

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While attending FIU, I noticed that I developed a passion for tackling global issues but knew that I wanted to start locally. As I am just one person, I knew that alone, I would not be able to fix global problems but that I could start in my community. This is when I became involved with Feeding South Florida while serving Americorps and found myself volunteering as a student mentor for incoming freshmen with the FIU Mentoring Collective. Two issues that I wanted to work on were that food/hygiene product insecurity and helping students feel more comfortable on campus. As a college student myself who has had to work two full-time jobs while attending school full-time, I understand the need for essentials and support. For students who are in a worse situation than I am, I really would like to impact their lives and do my part by getting them in touch with resources and providing a support system for disadvantaged students. I would not like someone to feel as if they do not belong or cannot manage to fulfill their dreams of getting their degree due to their circumstances. 

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As I pursue my Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies, I not only have a duty to pay attention to global sociological issues when it comes to equality amongst people and their economic status but also to help promote awareness from a biological standpoint. Taking both Introduction to Environmental Science and Marine Protected Areas has shown me that the environment needs us. As much as humans have become a problem, we are the solution. I have learned that teaching others about the importance of their carbon footprint, climate change, pollution, and other detrimental processes will make it more likely that they will be cautious about utilizing nonrenewable resources and how we could improve sustainability worldwide. Participating in the internship with FWC has also taught me vital lessons along with my global learning courses about the hierarchy of ecological relationships, and the threats to biodiversity on a global scale, especially with the introduction of non-native species to our terrestrial and aquatic habitats. As humans, we have a responsibility to act and take better care of our planet for future generations to come. 

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Overall, my experiences at FIU are nothing short of phenomenal. I plan to use all that I have learned from my global learning experiences and navigate my way into solving smaller issues to make a large impact on my community. My next steps are to attend medical school to become a physician and provide quality care to patients regardless of societal, economic, and biological status because that is what everyone deserves. A chance to find themselves and learn from life experiences to live their best life.