Submission Number: 185
Submission ID: 874
Submission UUID: 4ea03b92-9dae-40c2-816b-665fd927be12

Created: Fri, 04/08/2022 - 12:21
Completed: Fri, 04/08/2022 - 12:21
Changed: Sun, 05/18/2025 - 05:23

Remote IP address: 128.138.129.52
Submitted by:Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No

Flagged: Yes
Locked: Yes
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Bridget
Jewell
she/her/hers
Crystal Lake
IL
United States
60012
Environmental Engineering
English (5), French (1)
Although I have not had the opportunity to study abroad due to COVID-19 restrictions, I was able to observe a similar experience when my family hosted a foreign exchange student from France in 2017. Through this experience I learned how to navigate language and cultural barriers as I -- an eighth grader who had never taken a single French lesson in my life -- struggled to decipher the thick accent and "franglais" of my foreign exchange brother, Baptiste. Once I worked past these challenges it became easier to share my family's culture with him as well as learn about his life back in France. Living with a foreign exchange student taught me how to be more patient, understanding, and open minded to other peoples' ways of life. Seeing his excitement as he explored our town and learned more about the US inspired me to want to travel or study abroad one day and feel the same excitement as he did.
Living in a community of individuals who strive for their goals and enjoy engaging in social activities is highly important to me. These qualities are important for building a safe community in the Global Engineering RAP so that residents in this program feel comfortable to share their ideas, seek help, and completely be themselves. While it is important that my neighbors set goals, strive for academic achievement, and are willing to help each other out academically, it is also important to me that our community can just have fun and make great memories together. Joining a RAP community is a great way to make new friends and be more social, so living in a hall with people who are willing to make those connections and friendships is just as important to me as academic success.
Joining the Global Engineering RAP would allow me to make new friendships, be a part of an academically and socially supportive group, and to open up academic opportunities such as travel abroad experiences and classes that help broaden your perspective on the world. I would love to join this community so that I can be surrounded by like-minded students who are looking to make connections with each other in our future careers, benefit from the numerous academic opportunities that this program offers for our majors, and balance work and play in life. I believe living in this community will help me further succeed in my engineering studies because of the built-in support system and the motivation of a like-minded, goal-oriented community. Furthermore, I am excited to apply for global experiences that can help broaden my perspective on the world and shape me into a better, well-rounded person. Personally, I am open-minded and I love reaching out to others, being a part of a community, and being someone whom others can come to for help and support. I plan to be an active member by engaging in program events and working closely with my classmates to create good memories and build a sense of community.
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