As a first generation Immigrant, former military kid, and someone who is curious about the different cultures in this world, the thought of having a Global Learning curriculum at FIU excited me. After a friend brought up what the Medallion entailed, I knew it would be a wonderful opportunity to connect with like-minded students. It also meant getting perspectives outside those I typically encountered in Miami.

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One of the first courses I took at FIU after transferring was Intercultural Communications. I was able to learn about what makes a culture a culture, the variations when comparing and contrasting, and how to approach people from these different cultures. One of my favorites was probably How We Know What We know, a course that taught us the importance of media literacy in a global context. I took this class in the height of tensions that overtook our world in 2020, and it provided much guidance when navigating through a negative and burdensome news cycle. During the class, I focused my writing on the portrayal of the Black Lives Matter protests around the world from the perspective of the news and civilians on social media. It opened my eyes to the biases used throughout the world and how to better interpret what I come across.

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I joined the Global Learning Medallion the first semester of my senior year. Through the GL Medallion, I was able to attend the Times Tuesday Roundtables and other events happening on campus. The TTRs were my favorites due to the diverse guest speakers who came to talk about subjects they were passionate about. The most memorable one for me was the one titled "Evolution of the Femme". We spoke about various hardships that have plagued the institution of womanhood and intersectionality. I felt truly connected to the other women in the room because we all had those hardships in common and want to overcome them as we grow. 

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Although my time was short in the Medallion program, having Global Learning as a requirement in our curriculum during the duration of my time at FIU opened my eyes to how much I have to learn. Most importantly, it made me realize how important it is to have opportunities to engage with people on global topics in order to get a better sense of the subjects I'm lacking in. Having a community that fosters our curiosity and truly appreciates our differences has been one of the most valuable experiences that I've had.