Summary

This honors experience, my study abroad journey to Cape Town, South Africa, left an indelible mark on me and completely transformed my definition of Global Citizen Scholar in the process. Throughout the semester my four groupmates and I worked with Linda, the owner of L&M Kitchen, a catering kitchen located in Cape Town's Khayelitsha Township. In Khayelitsha, an area plagued by extreme poverty, crime, and limited access to resources, becoming an entrepreneur is no small feat. It takes incredible dedication, heart, and perseverance, but many aren't equipped with the basic small business education they need to thrive. This is where we came in — to help Linda organically grow her business by overhauling her marketing and branding material, strategies, and goals.​

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After a semester's worth of WhatsApp texts and video calls, we then traveled to South Africa to host our workshops and finally meet Linda. While immersing myself in South African culture by spending time in Khayelitsha and with all the entrepreneurs, it became increasingly clear to me how imperative it is to actually spend time within foreign cultures on the path to becoming a Global Citizen Scholar. Now that I recognize the value of firsthand intercultural experience, I plan to become a better Global Citizen Scholar by seeking those opportunities at every turn and continuing to diversify my perspective beyond what I'm accustomed to.