When I transferred to FIU in January 2021, I never realized just how many opportunities would come my way from this one decision. I have been involved in more incredible programs, opportunities, discussions, etc., in these past 2 years that I have at any institution prior. I can truly say that I lived my life to the fullest while living in Miami; moving away from my family and out of my comfort zone is the best decision I could’ve ever made for myself. During my time at FIU, I have been involved in the FIU Honors College, Tau Sigma Honors Society, National Society for Leadership and Success, and many different clubs. I unfortunately didn’t find out about the Global Learning Medallion until February/March of 2022 and wish I had known about it much sooner. Since being a Global Learning student, I have attended three different climate conferences, a FIU in DC Fly-In on the Future of Resilient Communities, become a Millennium Fellow and made a difference on campus, and have attended more discussions and talks than I can even name. I want to take this time to reflect on my time as a Global Learning student and the things I have been a part of since earlier this year.

            There are three different components to the Global Learning Medallion, the first being global perspective. Global perspective is the ability to consider others’ unexamined assumptions, conceptions, and beliefs when faced with a complex problem. When thinking about global perspective, my FIU Honors course Philanthropy: Giving with Greater Impact sticks out to me the most. I am currently taking this class in my last semester here at FIU, but it speaks on how everyone is a philanthropist and can use their own experiences and philanthropic resources. This course has been fascinating in the way that it changes your views on philanthropy. It starts off by teaching the difference between philanthropy and charity and grows on how philanthropy isn’t just about how much money you can give, it is also based on time and what resources you yourself have to give. It has completely changed the way I think about giving. I think this applies to global perspective because empathy is something that you should have when working in this field. Philanthropy is “love for humanity” at its roots. I personally feel like philanthropy fits in with global perspective because it is a global perspective. If you are involved in philanthropy, then you are interested in bettering the planet and trying to mitigate global issues. There are many global issues affecting the way that not only we live as Americans, but it affects people internationally as well. Knowing this is how people get involved in philanthropy, they have a heart for change, and are interested in different perspectives while bettering the planet.

            The second component to the Global Learning Medallion is global awareness. Global awareness is understanding local and global issues and how they are interconnected. For this I would like to again mention the ASPEN Climate Conference I attended in May. This event brought together more than 130 speakers to discuss ideas in technology, finance, food, education, art, media, and policy to address the climate crisis. During this time, I had the opportunity to attend a talk in PortMiami with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz, Mayor Daniella Leviene Cava, and the CEOs of different cruise lines, and hear other talks from Al Roker, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and many others. I attended a City of Miami Beach Resilience Tour that talked about how we are updating the city to be resilient in the future, a talk about how parks and protected areas can teach us about climate solutions, a guided tour of the SUSTAIN wind-wave tank through the University of Miami, a talk on how the ocean is a climate superhero, climate change in the American mind, how local and indigenous knowledge builds healthy ecosystems, and many more. Even though all of these talks were seemingly different, they all talked about climate change and how it will affect us. I met some of the smartest people I know while at this conference and they were all working on solutions for the climate crisis. The coolest thing though was that nobody was from the same two places. Yes, it was hosted in Miami Beach, but everyone had a different background and a way that they got brought into this topic. It was fascinating to hear from each one of them. I think that this is the most important step for global awareness, to have everyone have an equal spot at the table. Everyone has something to say, some experiences to bring, a background that brought them into their field. We can all learn from each other because the issue of climate change is an international issue and if we are going to solve it we have to work together.

            The last component to the Global Learning Medallion is global engagement. This is essentially the willingness to engage in local, global, international, and intercultural problem solving. For this I would like to again mention the Millennium Fellowship. The Millennium Fellowship is a semester-long project on campus. The project I am a part of is called "Panthers Reducing Waste" which is a large group project in our cohort working on reducing issues on campus including food waste, textile waste, plastic waste, and energy waste. I am working in the plastic waste group, working to reduce single-use plastics on campus and making a change in our community. We have now expanded my part of the project to also start collecting donations for up-cycling projects and collecting used electronics for electronic recycling. This relates to global engagement because we are getting the university community involved in our project. For the plastic part of the project, I am looking for donations from students to help fund future workshops and events. Ideally, I would love to see FIU become a plastic-free campus and although I am unable to do this with my time remaining here, I think I have set the right steppingstones for this to happen in the future. Also, if this were to happen, then we could be a role model to other universities around the country and spark change on their campuses as well!

            All of these experiences have reminded me of one thing: I want to continue working in a field where I can make a difference in the world. I have been wanting to make a difference, I have been inspired by the quote “Be the change you wish to see in the world” for as long as I can remember. I even have a tattoo with this surrounding a hand holding an Earth. I am passionate about the environment and the issues we are facing and want to be part of the hands that solve these issues. My experiences that I have had while participating in the Global Learning Medallion Program are something I will never forget. I have made connections and memories that will last me a lifetime. I know I have people supporting me from all over the U.S. and abroad. I will continue my work knowing that I have people who are there for me if I need them and bring along the incredible education that I have learned at FIU but especially throughout this program. My next step is to gain a job in environmental education and save up some money before going to grad school. I can’t wait to get into the environmental education field more than I have done before, and know that this is my passion. I however also know that I want a job that allows me to do research, environmental education, and combine policy in some way. I think this will allow me to continue my work as a global citizen because I’m not going to forget what I have learned here. This isn’t a one and done thing, I can’t step away. I’m just excited to see where it takes me next.