Professional Interview

What surprised you the most about the trip?

What surprised me the most about this trip was that I liked London better than Paris, which came as a surprise. Moreover, I was also quite surprised by how much I learned about America and the contrast between the American and European healthcare systems.

What did you enjoy most?

The component of this study abroad program that I enjoyed the most was being able to spend time with the professor in class, as I do not get that in-person experience — at least not to the same extent — in online classes. Additionally, being able to get to know the cities we were studying in and explore the areas both inside and outside class time was a very valuable and enjoyable aspect of this study abroad program.

What would you have liked to experience more?

I would have liked to get to learn more about the nuanced cultural variations in the healthcare system in each place that we visited and the most prominent global health problems affecting each place, specifically at the given time we were there. Spending more time with the professors would also have been something I would have liked as I will not have the opportunity to attend in-person classes with the teachers as other students in the program are able to after returning to campus.

How have you grown personally through this experience?

As my strengths lie in being a fully online student, this program challenged me to grow in many ways and to focus on building more confidence in myself. This experience has allowed me to overcome my fair of in-person classes and also respect and understand my limits and boundaries, which are vital for any person, student, or professional, to learn in order to be an effective and competent individual. As I am very seldom around students my age, this experience allowed me to get some first-hand experience of the relationships that one establishes with classmates in in-person classes, which enabled me to understand the value of those relationships, as well as some challenges that neurodivergent people face in these environments. I was able to confirm and, moreover, accept that in-person classes are not sustainable for me as an individual on the autism spectrum, while still learning so much from this immersive, intense, and educational experience abroad.

How have you grown as a student through this program?

Having the opportunity to attend such unusual in-person classes as a fully online student who has not attended in-person classes for over five years, I feel that I was able to gain a more comprehensive college experience through this trip. As a very independent student that exclusively takes online classes, I am able to manage, control, and plan, every aspect of my life as an online student. These are where my strengths lie as a self-directed learner, so this study abroad experience provided me with the opportunity to grow and strengthen my areas of weakness as a student, which include learning how to be comfortable with doing multiple assignments each day on the same day they are due, being comfortable with unpredictable schedules, attending too long classes each day, taking part in social situations with my peer at the same time as doing assignments and classwork, and trusting my professor. I am very thankful for having the opportunity to push myself in a safe environment and try different learning environments. However, what has been perhaps the biggest takeaway from this experience was proving to myself that I can attend in-person classes while simultaneously accepting and coming to terms with the fact that I function best in online classes: and that is okay.

How have you grown professionally through this experience?

As a professional working towards increasing access to higher education in Iceland by creating the first world-class online course at a university in Iceland, I felt that it was very important for me to have some experience with in-person classes, however unusual that experience might look like. Therefore, the experiences I gained in this study abroad trip have been vital for me as a professional making changes to the education system, where the majority of students prefer these in-person classes to online platforms. Moreover, the Culture and Health class strengthened my awareness as an aspiring culturally competent professional that aims to create a universal and culturally adaptable health literacy curriculum for K-12 education that enables students to make informed decisions, lead healthy lives, and overcome adversities.

Overall, how has this experience changed you?

This experience has allowed me to become more confident in my ability to handle stressful situations and crowded environments and be comfortable with unknowns. This newfound confidence allowed me also to accept that being an online student is just as valid as being an in-person student. Moreover, this trip reinforced my personal, academic, and professional goals and decisions more than I could have ever predicted. However, the most important part that has started to change for me on this trip is my view of myself as a student. As a dyslexic, ADHD, autistic student, I had always been told by the education system that I was worthless. Even after getting into UF and excelling academically, the view I have of myself as a student was still so negative and skewed due to my past experiences with the education system. Professor Ossiboff helped me realize this last spring semester when taking her class, and she has been instrumental in helping me realize my true value and worth as a student. Her encouragement and support during last semester and this study abroad program have helped me start to take the first steps in the direction of aligning my view of myself as a student with my true ability, which has been the most vital part of this experience for me.