It all began in May of 2011 when I was
studying abroad in Florence under a man whose name rings familiar to college
students across the world- Pierluca Birindelli. Pierluca approached education
with much more freedom than the typical college professor. There was
rarely a defined topic on a paper, no page minimum or maximum (or suggestion
for that matter) and most astounding of all- papers could be handwritten. In a
class of American students accustomed to a strict adherence to the syllabus and
detailed study guides, there was a glaring disconnect…
… The course I enrolled in with Professor
Birindelli was titled Identity and Culture in Italy: A Comparative
Approach. The course centered on identity and awareness, specifically
during the passage from youth to adulthood. Identity to find purpose in life
and awareness to understand how that purpose fit into a global environment. I
cannot claim to have understood the entirety of these concepts at just 21 years
old, but I never stopped trying.
I
had caught the travel bug.
To satisfy my need for adventure, I sought
out a career in college admissions. If you haven’t seen the Tina Fey movie,
admissions counselors are assigned a territory to recruit prospective students
based on a region of states such as the Mid-Atlantic or New England.
Fortunately, I was able to land a position with a territory spanning Chicago to
Miami, allowing for unlimited travel within my jurisdiction. Nearly five
years after my abroad experience I have logged close to 50,000 miles and met
people from all over the world, witnessing firsthand how travel can shape both
identity and awareness. There are numerous surface reasons why travel is
beneficial, however, I have identified three underlying reasons that inspire my
wanderlust.
- I want to know.
- I want to perpetually push the limits of my comfort zone.
- I want to be a Global Citizen.
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