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Final Reflection 

If you asked me where I thought I would be in life currently four years ago when I entered the University of Florida, I would have mentioned to you I would be majoring in Health Science to become a physician. I would have also mentioned to you I would be waiting to hear back from medical schools and trying to shadow physicians in the Dermatology department. If you asked me four years ago, if being a being a health science major and preparing to go to medical school was what I truly wanted in life, I would have definitely told you, “Yes, I want to be a physician for the rest of my life!” Yet, life has a way of surprising you with different passions, interests, and opportunities.

Making the decision to pursue International Studies- Latin America and Europe at the University of Florida.

Traveling has always been a hobby for my family. Every year my parents would take me to see the world, adventure around in different places, and experience different cultures. At a young age, I realized people were different from me. I realized that people lived without power, technology, skyscrapers, communities, people from northern European countries are more reserved than people from southern European countries, and people live in favelas. Even though I was still young, I was fascinated by the idea of learning how the world and these cultures evolved into what it is today.

Traveling has always been a hobby for my family. Every year my parents would take me to see the world, adventure around in different places, and experience different cultures. At a young age, I realized people were different from me. I realized that people lived without power, technology, skyscrapers, communities, people from northern European countries are more reserved than people from southern European countries, and people live in favelas. Even though I was still young, I was fascinated by the idea of learning how the world and these cultures evolved into what it is today.

During my undergraduate years not only did I internationalize my degree by involving myself with campus organizations or taking classes related to Europe and Latin America, but by studying abroad and interning abroad. During spring of my sophomore year, I decided to intern abroad in Quito, Ecuador at the Ecuadorian American Chamber of Commerce. During my internship in Ecuador, I realized people are more laid back, not always constantly on the go like in the United States. My duty was to motivate Hispanic students in Ecuador to use Obama’s 100,000 Strong in the Americas in order to provide more opportunities to Latin American and Caribbean students to pursue their dreams in a nation that has unlimited opportunities and democracy. Looking back at my experience in Ecuador, offering these students great opportunities to succeed in their career will help the American community grow and give these students a sense of global and cultural awareness. 

The summer of my junior year, I embarked on a journey to study abroad in Seville, Spain. During my time in Seville, I stayed with my host family and practiced my Spanish on a daily basis. I valued my experience abroad and learned about Spanish literature, history, economy, as well as the Spanish politics and the role of Spain in the European Union. In comparison to my internship in Quito, the culture and lifestyle in the southern part of Spain, in Andalucía, are very similar. People are very laid back, warm and welcoming, social, and full of life. I appreciated this culture because it reminded me of my culture in Latin America.

My experience in Seville changed my life and I knew I wanted to return to Spain. The following summer I decided to return. However, this time I wanted to intern abroad in Spain and I knew Seville wasn’t going to be the best option for me because Andalucía is the second poorest region in Spain. In other words, there were better opportunities in the bigger and international cities such as Madrid and Barcelona. Summer of 2017, I decided to intern abroad in Madrid and work for a marketing and advertising company, Tilo Motion. My internship abroad helped me develop the following skills public speaking, collaborative, leadership, communication, and organizational skills. That summer I realized studying abroad and interning abroad in Seville and Madrid are completely different experiences. The lifestyle in Madrid is very similar to the American northeastern lifestyle by always being on the go, planning ahead for the future, working efficiently, and being exposed to different cultures and languages. This is not what I expected for Madrid to be like after my study abroad experience in Seville. After my internship experience in Madrid, I realized there are several opportunities here with the law, international relations, business, and more, especially with Spain’s role in the European Union.

By internationalizing my degree and with every lesson that I have gained from these international experiences, I began to become self-aware and confident in who I am and who I desire to be. In this moment, I realized all my hard work and efforts began to make sense. These international experiences and opportunities that I have been pursuing have always been here for a reason and have been aspirations of my life.

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