Being Bilingual is Easy

Learning many languages is exciting and broadens a person’s networking by making it easier for them to coexist in different countries easily. I was reluctant to start studying other languages because I thought it would be hard learning a new language within a short time. My first choice was French. I wanted to learn French because I had trouble fitting in as an international student in France and Morocco. Learning the basics of the language and sentence construction and talking to my friends in French made it easier for me to learn the language. They corrected me whenever I spelled words wrong, enabling me to learn faster. The second choice was Spanish. My interest in Spanish was due to my admiration for Spanish culture and music. I learned Spanish within a shorter time than in France because I also watched some interesting Spanish television series with English subtitles. Whenever I met people speaking French or Spanish, I would join the conversation and limit my responses as I learned important phrases that may not have been taught in the language training sessions.

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Fading Memory of the Holocaust

The Holocaust was one of the most devastating moments that continue to be studied over the years. As a person interested in studies about religion, reviewing people’s current views about the Holocaust gave me a new perspective on how people appreciate the history of the freedom of religion. It was devastating to learn that people are forgetting one of the most important events in religious history. I reviewed the survey conducted by Schoen Consulting, which established that many millennials do not know the number of Jews killed during the Holocaust. I appreciated the need to study the Holocaust, especially when reviewing critical historical events that changed the world because the Holocaust significantly shaped the modern world. I developed an interest in conducting further research on the Holocaust and its significance in the contemporary world to contribute to existing knowledge on the impact of the Holocaust.

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Language Day

Language day was an exciting activity for me because I experienced the beauty of different languages. During language day, we studied the unique aspects of every language and the history of the language. We were also expected to narrate a short story in a selected foreign language to demonstrate our understanding of the language. I learned many surprising things about French during language day, which made me more interested in becoming fluent in speaking the language. For example, I learned that French evolved from Latin. Language day also enabled me to express my thoughts on different languages because every student was required to express their opinion on whether the language was hard to understand or not. I was surprised that some students thought Chinese was easy to study, yet I had tried to study it and gave up after one week because I found it quite complicated. After language day, I was ready to learn as many languages as possible to improve my bilingual expertise.

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Designing Forward

Designing forward was a broad activity that included setting up strategies to implement in personal, academic, and career growth. I used the activity to conduct a personal SWOT analysis to determine my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that could affect my growth. I created a list of things that I needed to do to eliminate my weaknesses and deal with the challenges that my threats may cause. The designing forward activity was also helpful in identifying my key competencies and how I can apply them for personal and career growth. I also recognized the academic opportunities along my career path and how I can take advantage of the opportunities to add the academic qualifications required in current and future career opportunities.

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Eboard Student Veterans of America (treasurer and president)

Being the president and treasurer of the Eboard Student Veterans of America was one of one of the things I am so proud of. The position enabled me to improve my leadership and financial management skills. The most challenging was dealing with bullying and discrimination incidents. My main achievement was creating a financial management system that is still being used to prevent mismanagement of funds. I also expanded my network by interacting with other veterans who were part of the board. I ensured that I left a legacy of good leadership and accountability as treasurer and president of the eboard student veterans of America to create a good image among veteran students in America.

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MAN 4956 Study Abroad in International Business (1 week)

As mentioned earlier, studying abroad was a great experience for me. I learned about different cultures and visited many places. I also experienced some of the challenges encountered by international students, such as the language barrier and culture shock, which shaped my adaptation to change. Studying abroad also prepared me for my army deployments away from my family because I got used to being away from my family for a long time. I intend to look for other opportunities to study abroad to experience more new cultures and advance my intercultural relations skills. I also plan to advance my knowledge of international business to prepare me for job opportunities in global companies due to the rising trend of organizational expansion into global markets for increased competitive advantage.

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Veterans of America (pending confirmation)

I hope my request to join the Veterans of America will be accepted. Being part of the group will expose me to a large network of veterans from America, some of whom I can learn a lot from based on their accomplishments as veterans. The group will also be a great platform to expose me to various opportunities available for veterans in America, such as scholarships to further education in different fields, because I am currently relying on student loans to cover my academic fees. Being a member of the Veterans of America will also boost my image, thus supporting my career growth within and outside the military.

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NYT Speaker - Culture, Gender and Diversity through a Global Lens

Culture, gender, and diversity are vital in global interactions. Culture is one of the most important things that an individual should focus on understanding when traveling to a foreign country (Akkilinç 608). Therefore, when I got the opportunity to speak about these concepts, I was excited because I had an audience to express my opinions to and the opportunity to conduct more research on the concepts to support my arguments. I began by finding research articles on the concepts and writing down the most important points I would use to convince my audience. Being a speaker in the New York Times was also an exciting experience for me because I would express my ideas to a large audience and contribute to existing knowledge on the concepts through a global lens.