As Future Leaders... by Katherine

As Future Leaders... by Katherine - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

As the entire world is a diverse and culturally-rich universe of distinctive practices, thousands of young adults lack the experience to develop tangible opinions that they might gain through traveling abroad. In studying abroad, college students are able to transform the ignorance of their sheltered views into something tangible and experienced-based from the humility they learn through exposure to other countries’ unique causes and forming intimate relations that surpass language barriers. The growth and level of maturity gained through travel allows students to offer their invaluable experiences and developed thoughts to society as young adults that are upcoming leaders and teachers of future generations. In having the inexperienced travel in their youth, we enable them to gain awareness of other countries and to form foreign relations as they are the generations that will unify and lead the nations.
Requiring college students to tour abroad challenges them to expand their minds and reevaluate their initial assumptions of other regions as they are offered the chance to properly educate themselves through travel. As undeveloped young minds lacking experience are the sorts that improve with exploration, travelling abroad can only be beneficial. Being properly immersed in meccas of culture and history stimulates the mind to grow and soak in new-found knowledge. The information gained of how a different culture functions, struggles, and thrives betters the initially small periscope a student begins with. Any preconceived notions, pop-culture inspired stereotypes, and baseless prejudice are addressed in witnessing first-hand the countries many regrettably have only read about. Students are able to gradually open themselves and grow out of the limiting naivety of their sheltered years. The direct exposure to other countries gives students the rare opportunity to mature with candid experience and wisdom achieved in witnessing what other societies value and battle with. Students would only stand to gain in travelling abroad; expanding their generally limited knowledge of what the world is truly like.
In being exposed to various regions, the students would be given a chance to interact with those of different ethnic backgrounds, proving the possibility of a future of unity beyond language barriers. Valuable and personable friendships are conceivably formed, showing potential connections humanity shares with others regardless of nationality. Language barriers and variations in cultures become mute as students demonstrate tolerance, freely sharing personal bonds with those whom are from what are considered to be separate worlds. Individuals whom were supposedly never meant to meet interact and show that different upbringings and lifestyles may be a surprising factor that unites the nations. The means of the younger generations in being able to accept individuals of other cultures would signify the potential for better global relations and communication. Increased cross-cultured friendships and variations in thoughts exchanged would be the beginning realizations of a world without constricting barriers fueled by ignorance and biased ethnocentricity.
Providing college students with travel abroad programs presents the opportunity for individuals to practice humility in becoming conscious of international crises and in forming relations that contribute to a consolidated future. Countries that the majority has only seen in pictures provide the contrasting image for students to personally interpret and educate themselves on. Being properly immersed into a culture of distinct customs and endeavors allows immature minds to transcend previous bias and nescience. Transcending such ignorance gives way to enlightenment of tolerance, allowing individuals to grow mentally from their experiences. With study abroad programs, increased interactions between cultures of young individuals depict the possibility of unity to be achieved on a global scale. The tolerance and openness expressed in such unlikely relations implies the chances of a better future with compassionate world leaders that strive for unity. Invaluable experiences of learning abroad offer college students in their vitality to humble themselves in their honest interactions with other relevant members of mankind. In stressing the importance of travelling abroad for college students, newer generations would become conscious of global issues and humbled by the relations they form as they will eventually be the ones to lead the nations. As upcoming leaders and heads of state, the compassion, the knowledge, and the tolerance gained from studying abroad would be invaluable in the noble causes of future generations.