WE ARE THE CHANGE THAT WE SEEK

I first became interested in studying the French language when I saw the extent to which French is used in many different places that I would want to visit, travel, or study abroad. Traveling to France for the Global Initiatives Program (GIP) trip was the first time I had been outside of the United States. Having Elias, a student at Victor DuRuy, stay at our home motivated me to do my best in my French I class, knowing that I would be staying in France and at his home during the summer. Many of Elias’s friends do not speak English, and I wanted to be able to communicate with them, without him having to translate. Learning the French words for the parts of a home, leisure activities, different types of buildings and stores, foods, and activities, became necessities, rather than academic exercises, knowing that I would need to be able to get around.

Upon  arriving in France, I was challenged immensely, not just with communicating in French, but with being in a new environment where I had to really move out of my comfort zone. Although there were times where I really struggled with the rapid pace, as we did so much in such a short time, I think that this struggle made me grow, as it sometimes takes hitting your limits to realize that you can muddle through and even thrive. Teaching elementary and middle school students was a highlight of the trip, as I found out how much I enjoyed being able to help others through the lessons that our group had prepared. In France, I was fortunate to have a supportive group surrounding me, whether it was our Poly teachers, other students, or my host family. This trip has deepened my desire to help others, to follow the struggles of those who may or may not be near or known to me, and to recognize our country’s direct and indirect impact on the people of the world.

I can see how I have changed as a result of the Global Initiatives Program (GIP) events, activities, and classes at Poly, as I am now able to follow the French news and to read the Twitter feeds regarding current events in France. I am more aware of the impact of colonization now that I researched and wrote a about the decolonization of Algeria in World Cultures, read The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen in Global Perspectives and heard him speak at Poly. I have a better understanding of how others perceive the United States after writing about the impact of U.S. policy on the decline of Yugoslavia in U.S. History and after hearing Sonia Nazario speak about the plight of the oppressed in Latin America. I see that our system of government and way of life is one of many alternatives after reading about twenty books for a paper I wrote on the Paris Commune in Western Civ and as a result of meeting with students from other countries through the Poly exchange programs. I have learned about the impact of our collective actions on the environment by listening to Mr. Aaron Fyke, a founder/CEO of several renewable energy companies, talk about global warming and by watching A Plastic Ocean (Craig Leeson, 2016). By being a member of the Global Scholars Program, I hope to help foster these types of conversations and experiences, and to support the incorporation of the GIP into the Poly curriculum, so that others in our community can grow into more globally aware citizens and can have the opportunities that I have been so fortunate to have had.