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My elementary school cafeteria had paintings of children from different parts of the world. There was a Mexican boy in a sombrero, a girl from Iran wearing a burqa, a boy from China wearing a Changshan, and many other children from around the world wearing traditional clothing. I remember so vividly how these paintings made me feel. It made me realize at such a young age that there are completely different cultures with fascinating traditions and stories that I so desperately wanted to learn about. My interest was sparked. I probably read every Wikipedia page on every country. I would spend entire weekends watching travel and war documentaries. I wrote an entire play about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for Thespian competition. I thought I was so informed and aware of what’s going on in the world. It wasn’t until I started FIU and began to pursue the Global Learning Medallion that I realized there are aspects of cultures and conflicts that I didn’t know of or consider.

 

My first semester at FIU, I took a course on world religions. I took the course because I was a recent graduate from a Catholic school, and I thought it would be interesting to learn about other religions. What I appreciated most about that class, is that we went beyond the three Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism). We looked into smaller religions and traditions in tribal parts of Africa. We discussed and watched a documentary on Voodoo/Santeria. We also watched Zeitgeist, the film that debunks religion as a whole. As a person raised Christian, with very little knowledge on different religions or theories on the creation, this class did more than teach me about world religions— it made me more open to different religions or even the lack of. I can admit I had preconceived ideas on different religions, based on what I consumed in the media and heard from leaders in my faith. I viewed them as “other”. I thought because they didn’t have the same foundations of Islam, Christianity or Judaism, that were completely different. That isn’t the case. I got a global perspective watching videos of people practice and speak so passionately about their beliefs. I actively listened and took in different points of view.

 

Another impactful moment in my global learning experience was my study abroad to the United Arab Emirates and Oman. For two weeks, I traveled the Arabian Peninsula and visited Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Muscat, Oman. I visited beautiful sites like the Burj Khalifa and Burj Al-Arab, and gorgeous mosques like the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, Jumeirah Mosque in Dubai and Sultan Quaboos Grand Mosque in Oman. That trip was the first time I had visited a mosque, wore a hijab and engaged with Islam.

 

I was welcomed by locals in both presentations and basic interactions. We had a beautiful cultural dinner presentation from the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding where we spoke over delicious dinner about Dubai’s history and the family dynamic of Emiratis. At the Jumeirah Mosque, a woman taught us about Islam and encouraged us to get out of our comfort zone and ask questions. Our amazing tour guide, Mohammed, gave us so much rich information about his country and showed us the utmost hospitality. In Oman, my study abroad friends and I randomly found this taxi driver that was singing Lionel Richie outside of a currency exchange store. He took us to all of Muscat’s tourists sites and bought us food. He was so kind, generous and funny. He kept saying, “My name is Khan. I am Muslim. I am not terrorist,” followed by a hearty laugh. Even though the culture and language is different in that region, I was fully engaged in every encounter I had.

 

Because I was visiting countries I had never been to before and traveling for the first time without my family, I had some reservations and nervousness. I had fears of the conflict that may arise from the language barrier. I thought I would make a mistake and accidentally wear something wrong, or say something wrong. I even practiced not using my left hand for weeks before I left. At the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, their motto is “Open doors. Open minds.” I learned that in order to engage with a culture and fully immerse yourself into the experience, you have to have an open mind. My study abroad made me a global citizen, not only because I traveled the globe, but gained a global perspective and engagement.

 

I gained greater global awareness in my Political Violence and Revolution class. I learned about modern conflicts and why political violence, like terrorist attacks, occur. While I knew facts about 9/11, the Arab Spring, the multiple mass genocides, ISIS and the history of revolutions/social movements in the world, I wasn’t aware of why they happen. The course went deeper than just a simple timeline of events. It explained the cultural and historical significance in conflicts, and how they impact how people treat one another. The class challenged what I thought I knew, and allowed me to be more aware and think deeper than the surface.

 

I plan to continue to act as a global citizen post-graduation. I want to attend law school, and focus on constitutional/civil rights law. My plan is to help those that aren’t being fairly treated under the law. Our constitution is supposed to protect all—whether you are citizen or not, whether you are wealthy or lower-income, or a marginalized group or not. I want to help those that would not know the law as much as I do, to ensure that their rights are not infringed. I will have to be more aware of what is happening outside of my culture/race/class etc. identity. I will use global engagement and perspective in my future career to learn about issues that face different groups and how to properly engage with them.

 

My global learning experience was enriching, informative and exciting. I learned how to effectively communicate, even with language barriers. I learned the importance of civic responsibility, and using my privilege to bring light to lesser known issues and elevate voices of the marginalized through the New York Times lectures. My personal behavior changed; I became more open and globally aware. I let go of all previous notions, and learned more about people that are different than me. Overall, I am glad I pursued the Global Learning Medallion. It gave my undergraduate education another layer. I not only learned and got graded for my work, I reflected on every experience and they all will have a lasting impression on me.