Personal and Professional Impacts

Cultural rules and biases

Before joining the Global Scholar's Program I believed that I was quite open-minded towards other cultures' customs. While that might have been true to an extent, after learning more I realized that I had certain ingrained perceptions about some cultures that I didn't even realize. I learned that some of my assumptions had some truth to them, but that there is so much more to other cultures than a few stereotypes. All of this made me realize that I was quite used to the way of thinking and doing things in America. Now, I try to keep in mind that just because another culture has a different idea than me, doesn't mean it's a bad or peculiar one.

Growth in cultural competence

I have noticed that I have grown in a few areas since becoming a global scholar. One of those areas is openness. I have always been quite wary and shy so it's a big improvement for me to gain openness. For me, this has looked like being open to trying new things, open to learning more about very unfamiliar topics, and open to asking questions about someone's culture.

Professional development

As a global scholar, I noticed improvement with my soft skills that can benefit me in my future academic and career endeavors. One skill I noticed a significant increase in is my flexibility. I have to be flexible to accommodate a diverse crowd, which I've gotten much better at as a student at NCC. Additionally, I've noticed that I have more empathy towards all people, even though I might not have gone through the same things they have. Both skills are beneficial to my professional development, especially since I hope to work in a diverse community one day.

Educational impact

My overall experience in the Global Scholar's Program left me with a lot to consider as I transition from community college to a four-year university. I intend to include travel and interaction with a diverse group into my future education and career. This program allowed me to build the framework that prepares me for that goal. Although I won't be a "global scholar" after graduating from NCC, I will always be a global citizen, willing to let the world be my classroom.