As part of the International Scholars Program, I was able to not only broaden my global awareness but also learn to connect my experiences to the rest of my academic career and professional goals. The international coursework I took complimented my degree in zoology well, allowing me to consider the principles I learned in my standard courses through an international lens. For example, the class Global Biodiversity and Culture connected me to people who work in conservation and ecotourism in Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Madagascar, which showed me examples of the conservation I had learned about in previous classes in action and in different settings around the world. This greatly strengthened my critical thinking as I learned to make connections between the theoretical processes I learned about to their practice in different environments and cultures. Another part of my global experiences that strengthened my critical thinking was the two study abroad programs I was fortunate enough to take part in. During these programs, I was able to make connections between Kenya and Madagascar as well as with the courses I took in Florida. I learned from researchers focusing on areas I have studied at UF such as animal behavior and from conservationists working with local communities to engage people to want to protect their local environment. While a lot can be learned about zoology and ecology in a traditional classroom setting, I am a firm believer that time spent learning in the field is critical to a complete education on the subjects, and my time abroad allowed me to do just that, carrying out experiments in the field and seeing the wildlife and plants I had read about in person. In addition to Global Biodiversity and Culture, I took two other classes in Gainesville that focused specifically on Madagascar. While I was able to learn much about the country, its biodiversity, and conservation efforts taking place there in the classroom, I knew that to truly understand it I needed to go there myself and learn directly from people working on conservation efforts there. In both Madagascar and Kenya, I learned of different ways that people and wildlife interact and how conservation can serve as a bridge between the two. One of the most important things I learned was the different ways that conservation efforts can aid local communities in addition to protecting wildlife. As I move into my professional career, I hope to work in conservation on projects that do just that and help communities feel a stronger connection to their local environment. I know that the examples that have been set by the people I learned from in Kenya and Madagascar will provide excellent guidance that will shape my career path.

            As I participated in the International Scholars Program, flexibility was key to being able to complete the program while getting as much out of it as possible. There were many people I met who shared similar ideologies to me or who enlightened me to a new point of view which added to my knowledge of conservation and culture, but there were also people who I firmly disagreed with. Being flexible allowed me to acknowledge to viewpoints of those I disagreed with and consider what might lead to them having such mindsets, as well as test my own beliefs and determine how strongly I would adhere to them. One such example of this was at a lecture that looked at invasive plants from a landscaping point of view and advocated for looking at them more amicably. In a room of people who mostly studied or practiced landscaping and architecture, it was not hard to see why they might have a different opinion on the subject than I would, and the discussion I took part in after the lecture was a great way to learn about how someone with a different field of knowledge than me would consider the same issue in a different light. At the end of the day, my opinion on the matter remained unchanged, but I received many thoughtful points to consider on why someone would disagree with me. In my career, experiences like this will help me to better work with people on different sides of an issue than me and strive to reach compromises that satisfy both parties. Learning about different viewpoints and learning from a variety of sources has defined my experience as a part of the International Scholars Program. In my professional endeavors, I will be able to make even more connections with the knowledge I gained through my global experiences and will be able to use what I learned to make a meaningful impact on both the environment and the people living alongside it.