My First Year as a Bear-"Kitty"
Wow. How my life has changed! Just over a year ago at this time I was attending orientation at The University of Cincinnati, meticulously picking out décor for my luxurious freshman dorm, and looking forward to the abundant freedom that awaited me as a college freshman. In hindsight, most of the planning I did seems far too superficial and insufficient for the experiences that had awaited me. To be completely honest I feel like a new person. After going to private, Catholic school for twelve years prior to attending UC, two semesters spent at a large, public university have opened my eyes. Along with working what had seemed like a ridiculous amount of never ending shifts at a popular bar downtown, my first year at The University of Cincinnati exposed me to countless types of people, lifestyles, and opportunities in the world. Overall, I feel like I have become a more loving and mindful person. My personal definition of a Global Citizen Scholar is working towards a goal that affects a broad group of people while pushing one’s self to grow as a human being. Becoming a Global Citizen Scholar is not something that can occur overnight…at least not for me; it takes time, energy, and commitment in order to experience the yielded outcomes. I feel that this year was one step on my journey to becoming a Global Citizen Scholar.
Privileged is a word I assume most people could use to describe me. Maybe not out loud or saying it specifically to some one else when talking about me, but my life up to this point has definitely not been without a certain “privilege”. I am a white girl raised in a middle-class suburb that was put through Catholic school for twelve years – my parents always financially present in my life. It is hard to break out of this comfortable shell I was molded into throughout adolescence; I believe this past year has exposed me to enough of the world to break out of the mold my parents had made for me and begin crafting a life of my own. I never realized how lucky I have been to have my parents pay for my schooling all these years – it takes the experience of having friends that struggle to make ends meet in order to pay bills to realize this. I never realized how lucky I have been to always have both parents in my life and a family supporting me with pride every step of the way – it takes the experience of meeting people with no parents in their life to guide them, or no family nearby to offer support, to realize this. I never realized how lucky I have been to have the tight knit group of people I call my best friends – it takes many fights, disagreements, and reconciliations to realize this. These past two semesters at The University of Cincinnati have not only provided me with an exciting education in Biomedical Engineering, but have given me opportunities to appreciate how many blessings I have in my life. Recognizing these blessings is the first part of becoming a Global Citizen Scholar for me; following this I can learn the strife other people in the world experience and work to improve myself as I do my part to improve the world.
One specific example of how I have changed in the past year is the Pride Parade that takes place in downtown Cincinnati each summer. In the summer of 2017 I had just began my job at a popular bar downtown (that is along the path of the pride parade). After just graduating from Seton High School – an all-girls Catholic school where I was enrolled in Religion classes, took part in annual sexual education courses from the local pregnancy center, and was taught by a few nuns – you could say my view of life was pretty narrow. The first Pride Parade I experienced was in the summer of 2017 and I was extremely overwhelmed. I was simply not used to the new lifestyles I became exposed to that day. I remember feeling slightly uncomfortable and out of place at work that day. Fast forward to Pride Parade 2018, my mindset was completely changed. I was excited to come to work and absorb all of the happiness I knew the day held. Working during the Pride Parades was one way I was able to reflect on how much I have changed over the past year. I have become more accepting, excited to live, and just full of love. I think this metamorphosis of mine is a major way I will be able to become the best Global Citizen Scholar in my ability. Understanding lives that differ from my own is an integral step in being able to work for the betterment of society and absorb as many benefits the experiences in my life offer me.
Privileged is a word I assume most people could use to describe me. Maybe not out loud or saying it specifically to some one else when talking about me, but my life up to this point has definitely not been without a certain “privilege”. I am a white girl raised in a middle-class suburb that was put through Catholic school for twelve years – my parents always financially present in my life. It is hard to break out of this comfortable shell I was molded into throughout adolescence; I believe this past year has exposed me to enough of the world to break out of the mold my parents had made for me and begin crafting a life of my own. I never realized how lucky I have been to have my parents pay for my schooling all these years – it takes the experience of having friends that struggle to make ends meet in order to pay bills to realize this. I never realized how lucky I have been to always have both parents in my life and a family supporting me with pride every step of the way – it takes the experience of meeting people with no parents in their life to guide them, or no family nearby to offer support, to realize this. I never realized how lucky I have been to have the tight knit group of people I call my best friends – it takes many fights, disagreements, and reconciliations to realize this. These past two semesters at The University of Cincinnati have not only provided me with an exciting education in Biomedical Engineering, but have given me opportunities to appreciate how many blessings I have in my life. Recognizing these blessings is the first part of becoming a Global Citizen Scholar for me; following this I can learn the strife other people in the world experience and work to improve myself as I do my part to improve the world.
One specific example of how I have changed in the past year is the Pride Parade that takes place in downtown Cincinnati each summer. In the summer of 2017 I had just began my job at a popular bar downtown (that is along the path of the pride parade). After just graduating from Seton High School – an all-girls Catholic school where I was enrolled in Religion classes, took part in annual sexual education courses from the local pregnancy center, and was taught by a few nuns – you could say my view of life was pretty narrow. The first Pride Parade I experienced was in the summer of 2017 and I was extremely overwhelmed. I was simply not used to the new lifestyles I became exposed to that day. I remember feeling slightly uncomfortable and out of place at work that day. Fast forward to Pride Parade 2018, my mindset was completely changed. I was excited to come to work and absorb all of the happiness I knew the day held. Working during the Pride Parades was one way I was able to reflect on how much I have changed over the past year. I have become more accepting, excited to live, and just full of love. I think this metamorphosis of mine is a major way I will be able to become the best Global Citizen Scholar in my ability. Understanding lives that differ from my own is an integral step in being able to work for the betterment of society and absorb as many benefits the experiences in my life offer me.