Ron Israel from the Global Citizens’ Initiative posits that a global citizen is “someone who sees themselves as part of an emerging sustainable world community.” Not only do we have rights as citizens, we also have responsibilities. Initiatives like the UN Sustainable Development Goals Programs provide a challenge for humanity to address global issues today with sustainable solutions. Studying abroad is an opportunity for me and other students to learn about different cultural and national perspectives and how to promote “problem-solving consensus” for real world issues. [2]
I find that my life intersects with UN Sustainable Development goals 4) quality education, 5) gender equality, 10) reduced inequalities, and 16) Peace Justice and strong institutions. As a legally blind individual, I believe that it is important for me to continue to challenge myself to explore the world and try new things; testing my independence. Every day poses new challenges as I overcome obstacles to learning and to doing everyday tasks. I love learning and expanding my mind with new ideas. Meeting new people and exploring new cultures is critical in making us better citizens in our home countries as well as becoming better global citizens. As an individual with a disability, I am curious to learn about how accessible other countries are and how I can use my tools and resources to navigate a location that is new and foreign on multiple levels. As a student of history, I am always thinking about how to make history and historical spaces more accessible to everyone.
I try to live my life with intention; observing ways to improve my life as well as the life of others on our planet. I do my best to be politically and socially informed and work to better inform my choices and actions for the future. I embrace meeting new people and learning new ideas to help me have a better understanding of how we are more alike than we are separated by our differences. As a student of Philosophy and History, I understand that our human history is complex but we have a an obligation to understand the impact of human cultures through time. I advocate for gender equality and I believe strongly in education and the importance of using my education to improve my community and the lives of others. As a blind individual, I often prefer to walk or run places whenever possible and by necessity have learned the importance of public transportation as both a tool for equity as well as a means for environmentally sustainable travel. I often prefer to reuse items whenever possible in order to limit my consumptions. A study-abroad experience will help me better define my role as a global citizen and how I can bring my experience as an individual with a disability to work with others on how to foster inclusion and access for others in all communities.
