"...I have never spent an entire month in another country, and it opened my eyes to the very real possibility of perhaps someday moving to Europe, which is something I'd never even thought to consider before."
As a non-traditional student in my late thirties, I initially sought out study abroad programs to apply for simply because I thought studying abroad would be a cool experience, and a particularly unexpected one for me to have, given my age.
Exponentially more unexpected was how absolutely transformative the experience would end up being. While I have had the privilege of traveling to numerous places before, I have never spent an entire month in another country, and it opened my eyes to the very real possibility of perhaps someday moving to Europe, which is something I'd never even thought to consider before. And I can't help but feel like I got to have this experience at the exact right time — as American politics are increasingly posing a threat to scientific research and funding, it was beyond incredible to get to participate in a neuroscience program in Europe, where we were welcomed with enthusiasm and encouragement. Between the numerous European scientists who were kind enough to guest lecture for us, the once-in-a-lifetime field trips we got to go on, and the talks and conferences we attended, my faith in the future of scientific research was restored. For the final project in one of my two classes, I even got to conduct my own research project, which affirmed for me how passionately I would like to pursue a career in research.
And, quite frankly, I would never have been able to even accept this opportunity were it not for the Global Learning Scholarship I was awarded. I have spent my entire life on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum, and receiving this scholarship enabled me to embark on a journey that I truly believe has upwardly altered the trajectory of the rest of my life, and I could not be more grateful. I have no doubt that if I gain success as a scientific researcher in the future, I will look back and say that my career truly began during my participation in Columbia's Global Neuroscience in Paris Program.
