Post-Study Abroad Reflections and Lessons!

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Luz Alfaro

<i>"Hello" in your host country's language:</i> Namaste! Hallo! <i>Home Institution (your U.S. University/College):</i> Grinnell College <i>Expected graduation year:</i> 2022 <i>Destination city & country:</i> Delhi, India; Cape Town, South Africa; Amman, Jordan <i>Program provider:</i> SIT Study Abroad <i>Major/minor:</i> Sociology & Biochemistry <i>Demographics:</i> Hispanic/Latinx, First-Generation American, First-Generation College Student <i>Future career aspirations:</i> My ultimate career goal is to become a socially-responsible and culturally-competent global citizen and physician-scientist. To positively impact as many people as possible and inspire beneficial change on all societal levels, I will aim to build a social media presence where I can share my experiences as a first-generation/low-income college student and physician-scientist. I firmly believe in the power of human connection, wellness, and being proactive in embodying the change we want to see in our surroundings using our lived experiences as valuable resources of knowledge. Countless people and communities have brought me to where I am today and have contributed to who I am. I owe it to my support systems and to the world to pass forward the love, care, and investment I have been given to others. <i>Top 3 goals for your time abroad:</i> My top goal for my time abroad is to create lasting and fulfilling relationships with the people I will be interacting with throughout the global regions I will be visiting. Second, I want to fully immerse myself into opportunities for growth each day while I am abroad, learning and engaging with my environments on an academic, social, and personal level. My last top goal is to document my journey effectively for future reference and then share the knowledge I gained with a larger audience that may be interested in having a similar enriching and life-changing study abroad experience.