Enriquecer by Emma

Enriquecer by Emma - November 2017 Scholarship Essay

If I could study abroad, this would positively impact not only my college education but my outlook and perception of life and culture as a whole. I would be able to study and work with people of different cultures, learn more about how other education and government systems work and enrich my understanding of the world and the barriers that exist between countries and cultures. All of these experiences would cause me to understand concepts I had never considered, and become more sympathetic to all cultures in the world.
By living in another country for an extended period of time, I would obviously have to interact with people of many different languages, cultures, and backgrounds. By listening to their stories and understanding more about their language, I would become extremely empathetic towards their issues. Many people in the United States at this time are nationalists, and struggle to empathize with other countries in the world. By getting to know people and workers individually, I would begin to love these cultures even more than I already do. For example, I have taken Spanish since seventh grade, and I have learned a lot about the Spanish and Hispanic cultures. However, getting a personal and intimate experience with businesses, colleges, and individuals, I would learn much more about what it means to be Hispanic or Spanish.
Studying abroad implies that I would be entering an international university. By working with professors and students my age that grew up in completely different households and climates, I would learn a great deal about how education systems work. I would understand more about student debt, GPA, standardized testing, and school funding. Because of the fact that the government funds schools, I would also be learning a great deal about international governments. Through the understanding of all of these concepts and ideas, I would be able to put my own education and government experiences into perspective. In other words, understanding the differences between two or more countries would help me make better decisions and create more mature opinions about how our own country operates.
The final thing that I would be integrating into my college education by studying abroad is understanding the language and cultural barriers that exist between multiple countries. For example, I have learned so much about the culture of Spain and Latin America, including the fact that there is a massive amount of information and knowledge that is not accessible to English speakers purely because we cannot understand it. If I were to study abroad, this barrier would become even more prominent. However, by interacting with the environment and people about me, I would be able to slowly break down this barrier. When this barrier has been torn down, I would be able to access a mountain of information and ideas, which would make me rethink many opinions and concepts and enrich my understanding of many international and national issues.
The act of studying abroad has helped enrich and enlighten many young adults’ minds. If I were to study abroad, I would seize the opportunity to learn more about different countries and their cultures, people, education systems, and government. By taking advantage of all of these, I would learn to think of my own culture in a different introspective way and become more sympathetic to people of other nationalities and cultures. This is vital to the experience of a college education, and it would aid me in thriving in every conversation and future experience I have.