As I close in on graduation and begin looking forward to my impending career in the classroom, I also find myself looking back at the last four and half years in Gainesville and around the world. It makes me smile now to think of the overwhelming feelings I experienced at preview struggling to pin down exactly who I wanted to be at the end of all this, what direction I wanted to take. If only I could tell my freshman self to trust in the University of Florida and the opportunities it will provide, that by reaching beyond the corners of our campus and our country I would soon find the drive and passion I’d been searching for.

        This globalization of my gator experience began with a reflection on my own educational origins. Junior year, as I moved into my upper-level courses for elementary education, ProTeach faculty encouraged us all to think of the teachers and classroom experiences that drove us to a profession in education. My fondest memories were those formed in the classrooms of Attleborough Infant School in Norfolk, England. I began to wonder what this international education had already done to shape my teaching philosophy, and this led me to question why I had since remained firmly planted in the States without seeking to enrich my teaching by learning from more diverse global systems of education

        Before I could question this line of thinking, I registered for the Florida Alternative Breaks spring break trip to Quetzaltenango, Guatemala to study education inequity in the heart of a country wrought with systemic prejudice and discrimination against their native population. This week served as the impetus for so many of my later experiences with the International Scholars Program. In this role, I was given more autonomy over the classroom than ever before. My love for teaching expanded immensely as for the first time I felt I was able to make a difference and lead original lessons I felt truly proud of. During reflection led by our trip leaders, I came to realize how invigorating and affirming I found the entire experience. I also came to realize that it was time to take this global learning a step further upon my return to campus.

        Within a week of my return from Guatemala, I was energized to apply for an International Studies Abroad program in Multicultural Education in Seville, Spain. If Guatemala was dipping a toe into my own growth as an educator, then Spain was diving head-first into the deep end. Again, I was welcomed as a genuine instructor and given the freedom to design English lessons of my own. I was also fortunate enough to learn from a mentor teacher who encouraged divergent and creative thinking in dynamic, exciting ways I only hope I can incorporate into my own classroom in the future. This semester in Spain gave me the courage to challenge traditional instructional delivery methods in favor of meeting students in fresh ways using their likes, their strengths, and their passions.

         It scares me to imagine the nerves I would feel moving into this next stage of my life without having grown into the more well-rounded, confident person I am because of these experiences. I find it only fitting that my global experiences both began and now end with reflection. In synthesizing this ePortfolio, I have come to understand the complex ways my global experiences have enriched the fabric of my college experience. I am not only a soon-to-be alumna of the University of Florida, I am a soon-to-be alumna of Miguel Angel Asturias Academy, Colegio San Miguel Adoratrices, and Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo.