International Scholars Program: Reflection
The UF International Scholars Program is designed to encourage and guide students through becoming a more internationally aware and culturally educated individual, making them more fit for cross cultural collaboration. Through my time in the program, I was able to recontextualize my University of Florida experience and the globally focused experiences I have found myself in. From the coursework and study abroad internship programs that emphasize a more academic and professional approach to global education, to the campus events and organizations I became a part of that took a more personal outlook, my University career has been focused on teaching me what it means to take my place on the global stage.
In my experience, the International Scholars Program gave me a further reason and opportunity to connect with my culture and heritage, as well as those of other areas of the world. I am Korean by ethnicity, but I grew up considerably disconnected from the culture associated with it. The reason much of this portfolio utilizes Korean imagery and experiences was due to the importance that experiencing Korea and its cultural representatives had on the International Scholar experience.
I studied abroad in Korea, which came with its own unique set of challenges. I had never come across a language barrier without someone there to help me bridge the gap, and for the first time, I was on my own. I am still not fluent in the Korean language, but my work as an International Scholar placed me in the environment to improve my language skills. However, more importantly than just language, the mindset I have as an International Scholar led me to improving my adaptation skills. I became more comfortable with the concept of the unknown, and being at home in the uncomfortable silence and moments I come across. I am now able to apply that adaptability to other aspects of my life.
Take for example, my time as President of UF's Korean Undergraduate Student Association adapting to budget cuts to still put on events. When the organization's budget dropped well over 90%, I experienced a panic. However, due to the ability to adapt I honed during my international experiences, my organization and I were still able to put on the cultural shows and events as intended. We found sponsors, and the improved Korean language skills I had developed permitted a new bond to form with local Korean business owners who were more than willing to help our organization.
While the program helped me draw inward, it also helped me expand my comfort externally as well. As part of the push to learn about other cultures, I attended cultural shows put on by UF's Vietnamese Student Organization, and Chinese American Student Association. As I had finally come to experience and understand my own culture, I was able to draw connections and find community in other cultures. . Respect for ancestors, rice cakes, and red envelopes were marks of cultural similarities between the different Asian cultures' celebrations of Lunar New Year celebrations. After growing up and wanting to separate myself as Korean from other Asian nations, I was reminded to appreciate the connections instead.
My work as an International Scholar did not only expand my professional skills. It also rendered a different perspective on the way I approached my relationships. In University was the first time I truly met people from another country. Exchange students and International students alike had all chosen to spend their time in another nation to expand their goals and knowledge bases. I had felt disconnected from these individuals during my first semester of University, but I was reminded and made more aware of what different cultural outlooks can mean for interacting with others as I progressed through my college career. As a result, I found myself increasingly comfortable talking to those from a different country than myself. In fact, many of my closest friends have cultural ties to places outside the United States.
In a way, I sought these people out. I found similar ideals towards work and the sense of being somewhere foreign became a bonding point. Not only that, I came to realize the same drive for success that encouraged my international friends to pursue experience in the United States was one that I could develop myself. In the International Scholars Program, I too had spent time exploring other cultures and pushing past my own boundaries.
In the future, I hope to spend more time in Asia, building on the furthered cultural understanding of the international world I have developed through my work at the University of Florida. I am now more equipped for a future working with other countries, and thrilled to see where I will travel to next.