Global Justice Starts at Home: The Importance of Studying Abroad

In this post I share how my trips abroad opened my eyes to the importance of global justice.

Distribution of donated sanitary napkins to Cape Town Students

Overview:

In my time at the University of Washington, I have been fortunate enough to study abroad twice. My first trip was in summer 2018 to London, England and my second trip was the summer 2019 to Cape Town, South Africa. These experiences were each unique and they’re the only times I have ever traveled abroad. Being a first generation student this was another chance to break break cycles and trailblaze the world of international travel for myself and my family.

Personal Importance of Work:

My London study abroad was focused on public health and my Cape Town study was focused on race and racism in education. These experiences helped me to recognize what I wanted to study and what my values were. I learned about social justice issues on an ecological level while simultaneously learning about cultural differences and perspectives on these issues. These trips helped me internalize the importance of international travel in development of global citizens. Diversity is core to this because I was able to take diverse perspectives and recognize that in the fight for what is right we are supported heavily from our cultural upbringings and learning that this can be a judgement barrier. When we are open to different perspectives we can grow more as an individual.

Tasks Accomplished:

• Money conversion

• International travel

• Tourism

• International Study

• Networking

London Study Abroad Class Photo

Leadership Competencies Gained:

#1 Self-Understanding

I learned that doing things that scare me will help me to grow. I was terrified to leave the country and all of my loved ones behind, but I managed to make small families out of my cohort in each trip. We learned, laughed, cried, and tried new things together. I learned how to keep myself grounded in new situations and how to embrace the unknown while being able to rely on others.

#2 Other’s Circumstances

Being in new settings, I was led around by locals. I was able to see how people live in different communities in different countries and this was good for helping break down stereotypes that we often see in our international counterparts. I practiced the power of storytelling and listening to the stories of others.

#3 Resiliency

Trying new things takes a certain level of resiliency as you balance your needs, fears and temptations. I was humbled on both of these trips especially when being introduced to the specific disparities in both healthcare and education that present themselves to others. The resilience in the communities that hosted me gave me the courage to build my own as a visitor.

#4 Personal Values

These trips helped me to define what I value. I believe that healthcare and education are basic human rights and that we should have institutions and systems that support this. My values are very humanist.

#5 Creating Change

Both of these study abroad experiences called into question what I thought I knew about education and the healthcare systems and my role within them. I thought that i wanted to become a healthcare practitioner but realized that I want to do work that focuses on cultivating the minds of our youth to work towards a more just global society. If not for these trips I might not have solidified my journey in college as an education major. I am excited to take what I have learned about the world into my future teaching settings.

#6 Social Responsibility

By traveling abroad I was able to contextualize concepts that prior to theses trips I had only read about in some of my courses. By experiencing cultures other than my own I was able to recognize the similarities and differences from the things I experience in my community to those of other global communities. This understanding pushed me to understand the social responsibility we have to one another as citizens of this global community.

Lessons Learned and Future Oriented Statement

While I studied abroad I was introduced to new cultures and this helped me to develop humility. Recognizing that people have their own motivations influenced by their cultural histories is a powerful tool to have because it teaches you more about the people you’re interacting with and yourself. When you’re challenged on your beliefs you come to recognize what your values truly are. While I was abroad politics often came up during conversations with locals and these conversations turned into questions of justice and morality. It was powerful to have insight on what mattered to people from other countries. In addition to this there were protests that I witnessed on both of my trips and those protests were from marginalized communities. I recognized that the fight for equity is global and I was humbled in my own privileged identities. I took what I have learned from those trips to fully cultivate my own set of values and to find my passion for work in the future. I want to work with young minds to empower them to find their values early and explore what matters to them so that they can go out into the world prepared to make their mark.

Cape Town Study Abroad Class Photo