Through
travel I have overcome negative Eurocentric concepts of the African American. I
have overcome several statistics that said I would not make it out of the
“ghetto,” not graduate from high school, and I would not make it to college. Currently,
I attend one of the most culturally advanced universities in Oklahoma,
Langston
University.
I’m a member of the E.P. McCabe Honors program and a Regents Scholar. I have
completed over 150 hours of community service, I have been on the Dean’s Honor
Roll for four semesters, as well as the President’s Honor Roll. The summer
study abroad program to The Gambia and Senegal,
West Africa has benefited me academically,
professionally and, personally.
Academically, the thirty days spent
in
West Africa, I have attended class
regularly and completed volunteer work in the courts and schools dealing with
the social welfare of the people as it relates to my major, Sociology. I have
obtained six credit hours studying the history and culture of the people from
The Gambia and
Senegal.
There are different tribal languages such as Wollof, Jola, and, Fulla
throughout both countries. I have visited historic landmarks such as Alex
Haley’s
Juffureh Village
in The Gambia as well as Gore’e Island, and the Door of No Return in
Senegal.
I learned to offer my English skills, to professionally describe my country’s
culture, integrate with local families, and travel regionally while abroad.
Professionally, I have gained the
global competence to jump start my career and make myself more marketable; I
have improved my ability to work professionally in international settings as
well as increased my awareness and adaptability to diverse cultures. I sought
to become familiar with the major currents of global change and understand the
capacity for effective communication across cultural and linguistic boundaries
and I did. It was exciting to meet
professionals in my field of study and join multicultural work teams. As a result
of studying abroad, I gained a greater sense of independence and open
mindedness.
As an
African-American woman, there has always been a struggle for a sense of
self-identity. Our
society in
America
seems to be not as aware of the depth of African culture as perhaps we
should. Consequently, the trip to West
Africa helped me to answer some of the questions as to what it means to be
“Black” in
America. I have allowed this trip to change me for the
better; I yearned to tell my younger siblings of my great adventures in
West Africa. I am the eldest of five children, and my
mother is a disabled single parent. My siblings look up to me, and by obtaining
my passport and traveling outside of our own country I have showed them that
the world is ours.
