Learning is something we all do, whether we realize it or not. We acquire new knowledge and skills every time a new discovery is made within our lives. However, in an educational setting, such as elementary school, high school, and college, learning is the primary focus of our day, and we are actively achieving new skills to apply to our future. In the 21st century, technology is learning as well. Discoveries are being made that enhance technologies’ usefulness to us and better enable them to make our daily lives easier. The prospect of how far technology can go has yet to be discovered, and we continue to modify and enhance its abilities to help us solve problems around the world (The Millenium Project, 2025). 

Unfortunately, this causes more problems. As technology advances, schools in rural and low-income communities are left without the groundbreaking tools to help their students advance. While benefits include AI, global internet access, and online learning resources, the cost, misinformation, and cultural differences make learning with technology extremely difficult for some. Educational inequalities are becoming more common, literary works are being left behind, and we are left wondering if schools are straying too far away from their ethical duty to practice inclusion and diversity amongst all students. 

Addressing the global challenges surrounding education and learning is not a simple task; however, I have a love of learning that drives me to understand and communicate complex problems. My interdisciplinary approach helps address the inequalities within education and promotes diverse perspectives, education, and critical thinking.

I have used three competencies to shape my overall knowledge of this global challenge: integrity, critical and analytical thinking, and working with tools and technology. Integrity has guided my commitment to promoting equality within the education system and ensuring that I focus on inclusiveness and accessibility. Integrity gives me a sense of responsibility to address things that are unfair and harmful to other's ability to learn. Critical and analytical thinking skills enable me to dissect the issue, question assumptions, and explore societal impacts. This competency has been crucial for identifying issues. Finally, working with tools and technology has allowed me to utilize digital resources written by experts to better understand the issue from the perspectives of the different disciplines. This has been instrumental in developing an interdisciplinary approach (Repko et al., 2020).

My personal cognitive capacities, such as empathy, metacognition, and consequential analysis, have also aided my research. Empathy has helped me understand diverse student experiences and how promoting inclusive educational practices can encourage respect and a more profound value on individual backgrounds. Metacognition has encouraged me to reflect on my own journey and apply my personal experiences with education to my research. Finally, consequential analysis has helped me see how the long-term consequences of current educational practices can further damage students' ability to thrive (Repko et al., 2020).

Overall, my interdisciplinary studies, personal competencies, and cognitive abilities have helped me form a perspective on education. This foundation has enabled me to contribute to the conversation and fight for a more inclusive, equitable, and forward-thinking educational journey.