The world is so big. People and places feel infinite sometimes. What I’ve realized through my international and intercultural experiences is that we can make it feel smaller, much smaller. 

 

Every place I have traveled to or intercultural encounter I’ve had has proven this to me. Whether it’s the same games that children play or, or the ways that sunshine brings people out to the river whether it is the Salzach or the Willamette. My experience in Salzburg, as well as my experience in New Zealand, allowed me to change the way I saw the world. 

 

When I reflect on these experiences, I see the ways that they shrunk my world. New Zealand is no longer a blip in the Pacific, it’s home to some of my favorite people and places that changed me forever. Salzburg is no longer just the backdrop to the Sound of Music but home to Mountains that became my safe haven for 9 months, and its history helped me understand mine. It quickly became a place that will always feel like home. In my french classes, I created a whole new world in my mind just by changing my vocabulary. My experience in a country whose language I didn’t speak challenged me in new ways. I always thought language came easy because of my French background, I was wrong. 

 

German was hard and it was difficult to feel adequate. What I’ve realized is that my levels of German and French are not static, motivation is the main factor that allows us to further our knowledge. Language has allowed me to understand the places I love but it was not the only factor that defined my experiences. After tumult and reflection upon returning to the US, I found that the places I’ve been have power. They encouraged me to understand that places become apart of us just as much as we become a part of them.  My mission is to understand what brings us together just as much as what sets us apart and to show others that home is dynamic and it isn’t just the place we live. The world is not black and white and we don’t have to choose one place to call home.

 

 Watch my Mission Statement Presentation Here