Ever since I was a child, I loved looking at world maps, history, and reading about people's lives in different countries. Coming to the U.S. at the age of ten from South Korea, I was able to discover and experience diverse languages, cultures, and ideas, and over the years, I realized that cultural communication and literacy is an invaluable skill in today's globalized society, and that it can be extremely engaging and fun to learn about various groups, languages, and nations that exist around the world and interact with people who are from completely different backgrounds as me.

 

My time at UF was full of surprises, both positive and negative. On one hand, the academic and personal opportunities were more abundant than I had ever imagined, and I was able to take. My interest in languages led me to major in linguistics at UF, and I can safely say all the professors whose courses I have taken . Over the past few years, I had the opportunity to take courses in comparative politics, anthropology, international relations, and foreign languages to pursue my interest in international cultures and politics. While there were many instances when things went the way I hoped or expected, there were also several unexpected setbacks. From my first semester, I was eagerly researching study abroad programs in the hopes that I would be able to immerse myself in a different country. I had my eyes set on the UF in Valencia program, but due to the pandemic, my hopes of studying abroad had slipped away. Even when things returned to normal and study abroad programs began operating again, the timing has never worked out, and this is one thing that I wish I could change. Still, I hope to make the most of any international trips I plan on taking in the future, possibly even in this summer.

 

Early in my sophomore year, I began to look into career paths that would involve international development or policy, and picked up a double major in political science. While the international relations and comparative politics courses were some of the most challenging ones I had ever taken, I was able to grow my analysis skills as well as deepen my understanding of the history and relationship between different countries, as well as come across theoretical perspectives that questioned traditional concepts within the field and strived to be more comprehensive and inclusive of the various outlooks and points of view that have gone overlooked.

 

Other than academics, one skill I developed is taking initiative and not shying away from challenges. I found that I tend to regret things I haven't done more than things I have done, so I made an effort to participate in more activities, organizations, and projects this year. While I had been busier than ever, to my surprise, being involved more has actually improved my mental health. 

 

As I move forward, I don't know if my career will involve international studies and policy directly. Still, the international education and experiences at UF have enabled me to contextualize the world around us in a more nuanced way and prepared me for adapting to new environments in basically any role possible. Through my courses and student orgs, I have met so many open, multifaceted people, and the special connections I developed with many of them will always be a memory I will look back fondly.