Global Learning Reflection

Being a part of a school that aims to create globally aware students has been an immense privilege. This Global Medallion program has encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone numerous times and those experiences have made a huge difference in how I have grown as a person, student, and future physician. The cultural humility I have gained through these global experiences will help me incredibly in the field of medicine. I know that these opportunities that I have had completely shifted my dreams for the future. For example, my medical brigade to Costa Rica and my global learning course Health Without Borders have completely changed my views on global health and on the impact I want to make in regards to that. Approaching our current and future obstacles with a global view helps us understand the reality that this city and even this country do not function on their own. I had never truly understood how interconnected our world is until I had the privilege to live like people in other countries do. Many times the differences we have with others make us stronger together and we have a lot to learn from each place we visit or person we meet. Putting myself in the shoes of others and seeing their perspective has given me new ideas to solve problems we encounter right here! Having global awareness has also helped me realize that every action affects not only myself but all of those around me, on the other side of the world, and this beautiful planet. I now understand that many obstacles that we often think about are all about perspective and a quick fix is having an open mind. I know that my newfound global perspective and global awareness will be imperative to me in the future when I make decisions as a professional. The more I learn about the struggles in my own community and communities all over the world the more drawn I am to helping those in need.

My medical brigade to Costa Rica played a huge role in my desire to someday get involved with international programs. I am very happy with the career I am pursuing because compassionate medical care is needed all over the world. I plan to be an advocate for affordable, high-quality health care in this country, serve the people in my community with knowledge and care as if each person was a family member, and give back in our country and all over the world in places that need medical help. In my personal life, I also hope to donate my time and money to wonderful foundations that help make the world a better and healthier place. I know there are many things that need to improve here and all over the world and although I am only one person, I will try my best to lead by example. I know now that to help change the world we must start by understanding the world.

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Through leadership positions, events, and conversations with my peers I have also grown as a team member. Communication is very important in every profession and especially important in the medical field. Thanks to my global learning courses that always pulled me out of my comfort zone and into important discussions and presentations I feel like a better communicator in my professional and personal life. Now I feel more comfortable presenting in front of a classroom and having important, respectful conversations with my classmates. As a student leader, I've also learned to manage my time better, and very importantly I've learned the hard way that delegating tasks and motivating is a crucial part of being a leader. Lastly, being a part of my leadership position in PLTL and being a Chemistry LA taught me to listen intently to others. In those positions, listening was important to be able to find the error in the students' reasoning so we could fix any misconceptions and help guide them to the right answer. In all other aspects of my life these lessons allow me to understand the perspective of others whether they will be a future patient or a friend.

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My empathy, perceptiveness, and adaptability in day-to-day activities have grown immensely thanks to these experiences. I hope that with the help of programs like this one at FIU we can have a future generation of more socially and globally accountable professionals to prevent other global crises such as the heartbreaking pandemic we have been facing for the past year. I feel so blessed to have been a part of this program and to have grown and continue to improve as a person, student, and future professional.