Global Citizenship
The goal of the global citizenship competency is that, upon graduation, honors students will have demonstrated the ability to lead and serve in a multicultural world through increased self-awareness of one’s own culture and its relationship to others, deepened understanding of other cultural perspectives, attained proficiency of second language, and demonstrated awareness of culture-language connections in communication.
My journey as a global citizen began in my first year when I realized what culture was and that I did indeed belong to my own community who shared aspects of my background and values. The first-year experience class allowed me to investigate the multiple facets of my culture that affected my interactions with others. My increased self-awareness encouraged me to attend cultural events on campus such as plays and talent shows to expose myself to a greater variety of student populations that I interacted with each day on campus and in the community. I was interested in how students who communicated in different ways interacted with and affected their community.
I was able to further observe how one’s form of communication affected their social interactions when taking Spanish classes from a native speaker. Throughout the instruction, the instructor shared more than simply how to speak the language. She shared her experiences from her home country as well as experiences within the Mankato community allowing us to view our community from a different perspective. In oral presentations for each class, I learned that many countries hold onto their historical roots when determining their identity and culture. This included language. The development of my own language through my presentations led me to conclude that some statements and ideas do not directly translate between languages. My experience with a Spanish directed my critical thinking to the messages and emotions I wanted to portray instead of specific words and how I would portray them accurately. Even when speaking English, I found myself analyzing my syntax in conversations with others and adjusting my speech according to each situation.
In my role as a learning community coordinator, I varied my speech regularly. I worked with multiple students and professional educators with differing values and backgrounds. This affected my language which I used to better connect with my audience whether it was a personal conversation with a student or formal meeting with a professor. I met with each student multiple times throughout the year where we discussed their challenges or questions they had. Early in the first semester, I was getting frustrated with the questions and requests I was receiving from students for support because many of their requests were skills I had practiced for a long time. I recognized that in order to better serve the students I needed to set aside my biases on what I thought all first-year college students should know despite their various backgrounds and simply serve as their cheerleader as they navigated their first year at MSU. This ability to recognize how my biases affected my interactions better prepared me to enter an environment where others may hold biases against me and how to live in that setting.
With that I chose to volunteer in Guatemala. During my volunteer experience, I stayed with a local family and contributed time to the local girls’ orphanage. Because of my intermediate level speech, there were many times where I struggled to express myself in large groups but the personal conversations I did partake in gave me a great insight into the Guatemalan culture. The country’s inhabitants were always helpful and my time with the family allowed us to connect over the value of personal relationships. Throughout this experience of living in another culture, my awareness of personal biases and the function of language allowed me to act within a new culture and return home with a connection to a group of people thousands of miles away.
I cannot wait to bring my experiences and gained knowledge into the classroom where I can better support the entirety of my class as well as cultivate a classroom environment where all can feel accepted.
I was able to further observe how one’s form of communication affected their social interactions when taking Spanish classes from a native speaker. Throughout the instruction, the instructor shared more than simply how to speak the language. She shared her experiences from her home country as well as experiences within the Mankato community allowing us to view our community from a different perspective. In oral presentations for each class, I learned that many countries hold onto their historical roots when determining their identity and culture. This included language. The development of my own language through my presentations led me to conclude that some statements and ideas do not directly translate between languages. My experience with a Spanish directed my critical thinking to the messages and emotions I wanted to portray instead of specific words and how I would portray them accurately. Even when speaking English, I found myself analyzing my syntax in conversations with others and adjusting my speech according to each situation.
In my role as a learning community coordinator, I varied my speech regularly. I worked with multiple students and professional educators with differing values and backgrounds. This affected my language which I used to better connect with my audience whether it was a personal conversation with a student or formal meeting with a professor. I met with each student multiple times throughout the year where we discussed their challenges or questions they had. Early in the first semester, I was getting frustrated with the questions and requests I was receiving from students for support because many of their requests were skills I had practiced for a long time. I recognized that in order to better serve the students I needed to set aside my biases on what I thought all first-year college students should know despite their various backgrounds and simply serve as their cheerleader as they navigated their first year at MSU. This ability to recognize how my biases affected my interactions better prepared me to enter an environment where others may hold biases against me and how to live in that setting.
With that I chose to volunteer in Guatemala. During my volunteer experience, I stayed with a local family and contributed time to the local girls’ orphanage. Because of my intermediate level speech, there were many times where I struggled to express myself in large groups but the personal conversations I did partake in gave me a great insight into the Guatemalan culture. The country’s inhabitants were always helpful and my time with the family allowed us to connect over the value of personal relationships. Throughout this experience of living in another culture, my awareness of personal biases and the function of language allowed me to act within a new culture and return home with a connection to a group of people thousands of miles away.
I cannot wait to bring my experiences and gained knowledge into the classroom where I can better support the entirety of my class as well as cultivate a classroom environment where all can feel accepted.
FYEX
Self-Awareness ~ Levels 1-2
Knowledge & Understanding ~ Level 1
Self-Awareness ~ Levels 1-2
Knowledge & Understanding ~ Level 1
Guatemala Volunteering
Self-Awareness ~ Levels 3-4
Knowledge & Understanding ~ Levels 3-4
Communication ~ Levels 3-4
Self-Awareness ~ Levels 3-4
Knowledge & Understanding ~ Levels 3-4
Communication ~ Levels 3-4