Everyone has different types of identities, and I believe that changes in our lives also change our identities. In my application to study abroad, I referred to myself as a young adult, women and a college student who is seeking to experience new things throughout college life and life ahead. Studying for a semester in Rome is a huge change from the daily life and environment that I am used to at Rollins. Being from a Latin American country and being an international student in Rollins basically identifies me as a student who is already abroad, but I believe that having abroad experiences isn’t just once in a lifetime. I am passionate about learning new things through different experiences like meeting new people, new cultures, new ideologies, new places, etc. I am also looking forward to change or adapt my identities to new people and a totally different culture. In Rome, I not only aspire to using my identities to connect with others, but also to teach others as well as me learning from them. When interacting with other cultures, there may be culture shock, and this is totally normal. I am pretty sure that everyone experiences it at some point in their lives, which I have already many times, so I am looking forward to looking how my identities will differ from others’ identities.
I identify myself as a student who is growing and gains knowledge every single day, and with this awesome opportunity and experience in Rome, I aspire to learn even more, especially with the different classes that I am taking for my major and the ones that aren’t (like Italian language for example). I believe that with my past experiences and the different things I have been through and learned in my life as an international student and the different traveling I have done I will be able to use it as a tool to have an awesome semester abroad to meet new people, new cultures, other identities, new places, etc. Also, it will make me an even more mature student and young adult, making myself more independent and readier to face fears and defeat them.