Dolapo Oshin

HONR 201 Global Citizenship Essay

Giovanna Walters

5/2/16

Global Citizenship Essay

The concept of culture is much more familiar and close than most realize. When people

generally speak of culture, they reference other countries and traditions but fail in the process

to include their own customs. The method in which we are becoming increasingly globalized is

very surreal. From the technological advancements that allow one to interact with others from

a different country, to the increased frequency of migration, it is clear that the future consists

of more integration of cultures and customs. Furthermore, in this global citizenship unit, the

cultural biases that we face as well as the circumstances surrounding some individuals decision

to migrate highlighted some tragedies that many are unaware of. Essentially, it is clear that the

primary motivation that many migrants move is to seek solace; many bilinguals have proved to

be very adaptable, and in a university environment, there are many opportunities available to

strengthen ones familiarity with global citizenship.

I found the videos of the 4 immigrants life stories to be very interesting. They all came

emigrated from different places but had similar reasons and conditions as to why they

immigrated. One of the main reasons that at least three of the videos I watched was due to

some form of political instability in their country. Grace Deaneh, Nora Martinez, Diib Abdullahi

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all came to the United States for a better future because of wars that were occurring in Liberia,

Somalia, and Mexico. They all asserted that they came to the United States to gain a more

secure future and are all currently attending a college or university. This resembles the

reasoning my parents left Nigeria for the United States which was for the sake of better

education and opportunities. As Gupta stated, culture is knowledge that we acquire as we are

growing up (Gupta). Knowing that it is alright to hold onto your culture while attempting to

grow is phenomenal. This shows that though we may all be from different areas of the world,

there are still some similarities that different cultures retain.

I found the New Republic article insanely interesting. Being Bilingual myself, it

completely resonated to me on how I socially maintain relationships. I noticed that when I

speak Yoruba, some words and expressions are generally more animated than when I speak

English. In addition, I feel as if I am more socially timid when relating to people when I am

speaking Yoruba or by my Nigerian peers in a social event. Secondly, the article on the

Independent website really resonated to me. As addressed in the article, when it came to

bilingual speakers, they seemed to switch between these perspectives based on the language

context they were given the task in (Athanasopoulos). When speaking of blocking out a

different language, I tend to act more accordingly to the value and virtues of that particular

group. For example, if I had guests over to my place and blocked out the American language, I

would most likely become a very good hostess, even if I didnt invite the guests myself. More

than likely, I would make some sort of food for them and offer them some snacks. More than

likely, if I had American guests and blocked out the Nigerian aspects, we would probably go out

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to eat somewhere. These articles really heightened my awareness of my own personal

behavioral patterns.

The opportunities that are available here at Minnesota State, Mankato are bountiful.

First and foremost, in regards to developing my global citizenship competency, I plan on

traveling out of the country to England and Spain within the next year. Although I am not able

to go through any of the exchange and study abroad opportunities MSU Mankato offers, I still

plan on independently traveling. Furthermore, during the upcoming school year, I plan on

attending more cultural nights outside of African Night. I think more exposure to the customs of

other cultures would be incredibly beneficial in shattering some preconceived notion as to what

is right and broaden my horizon to the various cultures that are present in the world.

With the integration of cultures around the world, strengthening and recognizing global

citizenship is paramount in maintaining meaningful relationships. It is very important to

recognize that though people are from different countries, they still share some of the same

goals and experiences. Furthermore, this unit on global citizenship highlights that immigrants

that are bilingual not only have the ability to intertwine their culture with elements of their

newly adopted country, but that they are easily creating a new culture in the process. Lastly,

traveling and being placed outside of your comfort zone forces one to being tolerant and aware

of cultural biases.

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Works Cited

Athanasopoulos, Panos. "How the Language You Speak Changes Your View of the World." The
Independent. Independent Digital News and Media. Web. 03 May 2016.

Gupta, Sangeeta R. "Beyond Borders: Leading in Today's Multicultural World." Contemporary

Leadership and Intercultural Competence: Exploring the Cross-Cultural Dynamics within
Organizations: 145-58. Web. 3 May 2016.

Robb, Alice. "Multilinguals Have Multiple Personalities." New Republic. Web. 03 May 2016.