During my freshman year of college, I took a course titled “Introduction to Honors” (HONR 201) where I learned about the Honors Program and the three competencies that Honors students are expected to fulfill by the time they graduate from the program. Our professor divided our classroom time evenly between each competency throughout the semester, so that we would be able to discuss each of them in-depth. For a while we focused on Global Citizenship, reflecting on our view towards this topic, asking tough questions such as “What is culture?” and “How does it relate to language?” Through a variety of readings, writing assignments, and classroom discussions, we learned that culture is something that is present in all of us. We, also, learned that an individual must master the following three components to become a competent global citizen: 1) self-awareness, 2) knowledge and understanding of others, 3) and communication.

 

Taking this class allowed me to fulfill Levels 1 & 2 of the Self-Awareness section of the Global Citizenship competency, because it made me more aware of my culture and the context and boundaries that come with it when interacting with others. Growing up, I always knew I was part of two cultures (Mexican and American) because no matter what country I was in, my opposite culture always stood out. Whenever I was in the United States, I was made aware of my Latino heritage because of my skin color and ability to speak Spanish. But, when I visited Mexico, I was made aware of my American culture because of my Americanized lifestyle and ability to speak English. However, it wasn’t until I took this class that I heard of the term “ethnocentrism” and how affects everyone’s view of other cultures. Learning about this term made me realize that our perspective of other cultures is influenced by our cultural upbringing, therefore, “normal” traditional practices are defined very differently by everyone. This made me aware of my personal biases, which made me more open towards other cultures and accepting of their different cultural practices.  

 

Although this experience has made me more aware of my culture and perspective of others, I still have a lot to learn about identifying and managing my own cultural biases. The learning that resulted from this experience will allow me to build intercultural connections with other people more easily and peacefully collaborate with them on meaningful projects. 

 

Below is the Global Citizenship Essay I wrote in this class where I expand on this reflection.