Introduction

King's College

LACC Tour to England (summer of 2014)

Some of the experiences that have awakened my interest and will help me contribute to the Global Initiatives Program at Poly include traveling around the world both with my choir and with the Poly GIP trips. My tours with LACC have given me the unique opportunity to interact with people my age from other countries. While I was in Germany, I got to see how German guys my age learned and lived each day (in basically what was a German boarding school for talented male singers). After my interaction with some of the guys, I was surprised to have found that some of them speak multiple languages (more than just German and English). I on the other hand only spoke English and just a bit of Spanish. After that experience, I have become much more dedicated to fully learning Spanish. In Japan, my choir and I did joint concerts (with Japanese children’s choruses) in Odawara and Hiroshima. My experience in Hiroshima really impacted how I see the world, because it showed me the importance of kindness, being willing to forgive, and the power of peace and love. The children from the choir in Hiroshima were incredibly nice and open to talking with me (even though I did not know Japanese, and they knew little English), even with the history of the United States in Hiroshima (the atomic bomb, WWII, etc.). When I was in Nicaragua, I was struck by the strength and perseverance of the Nicaraguan children. I remember one boy (whose name is Christopher) who made/sold tortillas in the morning to make money for his family and then worked very hard in the afternoon to get a solid grasp of the English language. Even in his situation, he managed to balance both supporting his family and trying to create a better future for himself (learning English typically opens many doors for these children in terms of their future jobs). My experiences will help me contribute to the Global Initiatives Program at Poly because they have really sparked a deep interest inside of me to learn more about the people living in other countries.

I hope the Global Scholars program challenges or alters some of my perspectives as I learn more about the world around me. I believe the Global Scholars program will give me a wider perspective and knowledge of the countries outside of Latin American and the U.S., for those are the locations that I have learned the most about so far (through my Spanish class, etc.). That being said, I want to gain an even richer and deeper understanding of the Latin American countries as well.

I believe that some of the things I can contribute to the Global Scholars program is my great enthusiasm to learn more about the world. I also have a wide range of interests (that vary from the effect of humans on the environment, the cultures of the different spanish-speaking countries, issues of global inequality and injustice, etc.), which I’m sure will motivate me to participate in a variety of projects. I also am driven to work very hard, and if I say I will complete a task, I will follow through on my promise. I am also just truly interested in the world around me, and I hope to pursue some globally-focused path in my future (in college and beyond). Learning more about the world around me and what I can do to help others is part of the reason I am committed to learning the Spanish language, for I want to be able to communicate and interact with a lot of people who cannot necessarily speak English.