Alex Taylor, Plus3: South Korea Summer 2024
My Plus3 experience in Seoul, South Korea has changed my perspective of the world for the better which I will take into account for my goals. I realized that there are people across the world who have different beliefs and ways of life that in some ways are better than what I have. This includes opinions and other cultural differences that I will run into in the future in college and at my future job. My goals include graduating with a civil engineering degree from the University of Pittsburgh, going to graduate school, gaining a well paying job, and doing more for my community. This experience was the first time I was outside of the United States, and it was not what I had expected. I expected that I would learn more about the Korean culture, but I did not anticipate applying what I had learned to my life here in Pittsburgh. For example, we had visited one of the most prestigious universities in Korea, Yonsei University. Students who go here are some of the best in the country and their work ethic and intelligence is very high. I had the opportunity to speak with one of the students who told me all about recent Korean history and Korean way of life. I learned so much including how Koreans never had it easy, how they worked hard to be here today, and how they want to further relations with the United States. Based on that conversation, it made me realize not everyone has the same past that I did. For the future, I plan to take into account what I learned in Korea as I interact with new people and strive to reach my goals. Not everyone has it made like I did in the United States, and everyone comes from different backgrounds. In order to be successful, I will need to take into account everyone’s own unique perspective because no two perspectives are the same. Overall, this Plus3 experience has opened my eyes to a new culture and way of life that I plan to use to help me reach my goals due to my deeper understanding.
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