In 2017, I made a huge decision that would forever impact my view of what it truly meant to be a global leader as I decided to study in Leicester, England in the Fall of 2017 at the University of Leicester.

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          I took on putting my skills as a global leader to the ultimate test and I was not let down by the results as I learned much. Studying in England taught me how to communicate with those that have a previously developed opinion of where I am from very well. Giving that English and American culture are very interconnected, I often encountered many people that had stereotypical views of America, especially after the 2016 Presidential Elections.  I realized through this that it was easy to develop stereotypical ideas about other cultures yourself and found methods to check myself on these biases. I did this by constantly reminding myself of the diversity and density of cultures in an attempt to not denote how difficult it is to entirely understand a culture. England, like America has a very diverse array of people living there. But even with its similarities it holds its own character and individuality.

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         Learning how to communicate what you think and feel in a context where you are clearly the minority is difficult. The beauty of this came through to me toward the end of my experience in England as I found that people, no matter where you are, are similar in the sense that they want to be respected, understood, and valued. This is something that I will hold close to my heart forever as I intimately believe we are all, regardless of anything, humans that desire to be understood and loved.