My name is Valerie Pruc and I am majoring in International Studies and Global

Studies, with concentrations in Latin American Studies and Global Health at the Univer-

sity of South Carolina. I will graduate with a Bachelor of the Arts in December 2018 with

Leadership Distinction in Global Learning. This ePortfolio has provided me the oppor-

tunity to cultivate deeper connections through my within and beyond the classroom

learning experiences at the University of South Carolina and Universidad Andrés Bello

in Santiago, Chile. These meaningful learning experiences have prepared me for a well-

rounded future in sustainable development, as I hope to attend graduate school to con-

tinue my studies towards a Masters in Environmental Planning.

I chose the Global Learning pathway because I wholeheartedly believe that some of my

most valuable experiences in college have resulted from taking classes in a different

country than my own, as well as pushing myself to be open to learning outside of the

classroom, especially through travel and adventure. While spending a year in Chile, I

was able to focus my studies on the Spanish language, Latin American cultural studies,

international politics, and environmental studies, allowing me to ask important questions

and engage in research that I would have never thought to explore at a university in the

United States. Though I consider studying abroad to be my most valuable college expe-

rience, I also found it to be a highly important part of my personal growth, as it has

helped to prepare me for an exciting, but challenging transition into post-graduate life.

Through my study abroad experience, I became more understanding of the world

around me as I stumbled along the ups and downs of living abroad. I realized that the

most effective way to broaden my perspective is to embrace unfamiliar situations that

push me to be adaptable and open to learning. I became more independent as my year

in Chile progressed, proving to myself that I was not only capable of living comfortably

in a foreign country, but I was also eager to use the lessons learned from these new

and unfamiliar experiences to foster creative solutions to social and environmental jus-

tice issues that had been discussed within many of my classes. After ten months of liv-

ing and studying in Chile while also exploring its beautifully diverse regions, I realized

how truly valuable it is to maintain a global perspective in all aspects of life, inspiring me

to pursue further studies and a future career in sustainable international development.

In my ePortfolio, I have chosen to focus on three Key Insights that I developed through

a number of experiences both within and beyond the classroom while studying at the

University of South Carolina and Universidad Andrés Bello. These insights reflect some

of the most important lessons I have learned in my undergraduate career, such as the

importance of international conservation efforts, the inclusion of minority group voices,

and the fight to end violence against women, particularly focusing in on the context of

Latin America. As I was formulating these insights, I felt inspired to step into a role as a

community leader and to create a plan of action to find answers to some of the issues

mentioned above. More specifically, I have asked myself this important question: “How

can I encourage those in my community to take their own steps towards a more envi-

ronmentally conscious lifestyle that will reduce negative human impact on our planet

and on the generations that will follow us?”