Year in Review-2024

What is your definition of a global citizen scholar and how has it changed throughout your time in UHP? Using specific examples, how have you made progress toward becoming one this year? Discuss how this connects to and continues to influence your academic and professional goals.

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My definition of a global citizen scholar is a person that continuously seeks out experiences that challenge their point of view, lifestyle, and current habits in the name of better understanding the world around them. Two hallmarks of a global citizen scholar are curiosity and empathy. This curiosity drives one desire to learn about those around them and empathy forces one to push past just knowing about someone or something but truly understanding it. My definition of a global citizen scholar has changed throughout the year now that I reflect on my time since first joining UHP. In the beginning, my definition was much more focused on just knowing about the world around you and being generally curious. However, as this year has developed, I have learned, not only through personal experiences but from watching the news and being aware of the world me, that knowing about an event, culture, person, etc.; is not enough. One must be truly empathetic to better understand the world around them. Any person can know about something or even be curious, but to combine curiosity and knowledge with empathy is the key distinction in a global citizen scholar. The main reason I realized this distinction is because of how often problems are discussed from either side of the aisle, both parties know what the problem is, but one side or the other lacks the necessary empathy to come to decision that is in agreement with the other 50% of the people in charge. This isn’t just about politics either. I have found empathetic problem come up time and time again recently and it has been crucial in making intelligent and measured decisions. Sometimes referred to as ‘human centered design’ or something along those lines, it is a type of problem solving that puts the individual at the center of the ideation. I have used this type of problem solving in both academic and non-academic areas of my life. Most recently has been in my summer internship at P&G. Being in research and development, solving problems is at the heart of the day to day work. The problem I am working on, is not necessarily something I am familiar with so it was a steep learning curve. However, due to my curiosity and ability or desire to empathize with the affected consumers, I came to better understand my problem and familiarize myself with plausible solutions. As I continue to learn about my own professional and acadmeic goals, understanding the importance of empathy in problem solving has reinvigorated my interest in research and development and creating solutions to problems that have never been understood by those who have, historically, been the designated problem solvers of the world. Overall, both my Honors Experiences and just current world events has greatly shaped the way I view a ‘global citizen scholar’ and I how I continue to better embody one as my empathy and curiosity for other keeps growing every day.