Study Abroad Requirement Consideration by Ashley

Study Abroad Requirement Consideration by Ashley - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

Technology has made the world an arguably better and smaller place. The ability to contact someone half-way across the globe via telephone, computer or even video is in the hands of practically every person with access to internet. Long gone are the days where people only had to concern themselves with their neighboring community and perhaps a state below or above them. Today’s society is able to connect and communicate with individuals, businesses and places all over the globe. It is extremely important to ensure young adults and students in college are trained to be receptive to various cultures and have the opportunity to experience a great deal of diversity. There is a greater loss to both the institution as well as its students if a study abroad program was not required.

Studying abroad is a gateway to greater opportunities and increased education. Individuals who study abroad tend to have more real-world experience with respect to decision making and understanding of a global community. The stereotype of studying abroad being a luxury or just a semester-long vacation needs to be broken. Implementing a study abroad requirement would do just that. Students need to be exposed to various cultures, places and other countries to better understand the world and how their concentration applies to the readily available global community. More often than not, collaboration is the key to success but what if that collaboration can take place across the span of the entire planet. If studying abroad was a requirement, tomorrow’s inventors, leaders and executives will have had the experience to be better equipped in decision making as well as having refined people skills.

I have never personally studied abroad and I would be so grateful had the opportunity been required as part of my college curriculum. Exposure to diversity is such an invaluable tool to have regardless of what field of study a student chooses. Language and culture have enriched my life in almost every single aspect possible. I was born just outside of Boston, MA during a time where the government census showed my city as being an exact replica of the United States of America with regards to all religious affiliations, languages, racial backgrounds, ethnicities and financial income. I was exposed to all kinds of culture to which I could barely get enough of since every day I would meet someone new, hear a new accent or sit next to someone speaking another language. By the time I was ready for college, I was able to think, speak, read, write in Spanish, speak proficient Portuguese, and initiate conversations in French and German and had even familiarized myself with Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism to name a few.

During my college years, I was exposed to a great deal of people, places and situations as the majority of college students are. My background was the perfect set of tools to handle, address and approach any and all situations, places and people. As I moved from Boston to Philadelphia to Atlanta to Tallahassee to Tampa I found myself increasingly valuable due to the ability to provide translation for those unable to speak certain languages, to be able to explain certain religious affiliations, to respectively approach those who were not as privileged as I with regards to cultural exposure. I have had unbelievable experiences that would not be possible without all my stars aligning perfectly from place of birth to schools to jobs to new friends. Not many people have these kinds of opportunities and thus, a study abroad requirement is the perfect solution.