Living in the small town of Flint, MI, I was surrounded by the same people; never unchanging. Although, not naïve to the world, I created a bubble within my own community. A bubble so comfortable that it could limit my chances to reach my highest potential in my future career. Before attending Michigan State University as an undergrad, the closest I got to experiencing another culture was through the pages of my social studies textbook in high-school.
Upon attending this university, I was surrounded by people that came from all over the world and they were proud; proud of who they were and where they came from. This awakened something in my soul that I never put much thought into; its awakened multiculturalism. It was such a surreal experience to see different culture’s come together and support each other for who they are despite their own differences.
The education abroad is important to me because it gives me the opportunity to expose myself to an immeasurable amount of culture and create my own sense of multiculturalism. With much consideration, I chose the Social Science in Rome, I chose this specific location because Rome is the capital of Italy. Rome is one of the oldest cities in Europe and because of this it displays an insane amount of globally influential art, architecture, and culture.
By enrolling in the Social Science in Rome, I will have the chance to see a side of my major that I might not have been exposed to in the lecture halls of MSU. Immersing myself in the education that will be provided in Rome will allow me to thoroughly experience and understand the Italian people, traditions, and culture. As a Criminal Justice and Psychology major, I will be dealing with many versatile individuals; ages could range from young or old, offender or victim, women or man, Italian or Asian. Due to dealing with such a large mass of population; the culture will not be limited to one.
Since I have lived in America my whole life and never experienced a different culture first hand, I have struggled to display diversity as a student. In order for me to reach my highest potential in my career, I want to thoroughly understand the very people that I will be working with; this could be quite difficult if diversity is lacked. The most challenging thing you can ever do to yourself is place yourself out of your comfort zone.
Taking myself out of a country that I am completely comfortable with and placing myself in a country that is completely unfamiliar to me; will allow myself to grow as a student and furthermore in my career. Growth is not meant to be comfortable; growth is speaking a foreign language no matter how stupid it might sound, asking questions because you don’t know the answers, and seeing with my own two eyes things that I have poured over for hours in school textbooks. The Social Science in Rome will test my ability to adapt to diverse situations and challenge me to problem solve to effectively navigate myself through the Italian culture.
My mom has always made just enough money that she did not qualify for any extra help from the state of Michigan. The state didn’t, however, factor in that she was a single-parent raising three kids. She had a house payment, a car payment and still wanted to give her kids the life that she never knew; due to growing up on the Eastside of Flint and only knowing what it was like living in poverty. My mom worked as a bartender at Applebee’s for thirteen years before she applied to GM and was offered a position. If we weren’t getting help before, we definitely were not getting help now.
My mom made too much money for me to qualify for financial aid; every year I can tell despite my mom working hard to get where she is, she feels bad. She feels bad because even though her hard work paid off; I have relied on the loans that I have access to as a student, to pay for the majority of my undergrad. This scholarship will be beneficial because it will grant me the privilege to take advantage of an opportunity to learn in a different country and then return back to MSU with a new perspective on culture, appreciation for foreign language, a great education and a willingness to learn in the most uncomfortable situations.
