During the month of May, I had the opportunity to travel to Rome and London to explore how the histories and legacies of these two cities have shaped society today. In addition to seeing historic sites, I was able to learn more how target and agent groups are treated and the history behind society’s beliefs.

While completing, my STEP Signature Project, I was asked to really think about my identity and how my experiences are different from others because of my identity. The service-learning course I took before my trip introduced me to the idea of target and agent identities and the benefits and challenges of each. I I learned that my identity is somewhat complex in that I am Chinese, but was adopted into a Catholic, Caucasian, middle-class family. For me this means I physically look Asian but have many privileges that white, middle-class people have. The challenge of feeling this way is that I am sometimes grouped or treated like other Asian Americans or international students, but I can not relate to their experiences. This transformation or realization has allowed me to better understand how my experience throughout the world is unique to others in which I may interact. Overall, I am more aware of the privileges some may have and the challenges others may face in regards to their identities and the importance of not making generalizations.

            As I said previously, the service-learning course I took before my trip really made me think about the different aspects of my identity and pushed me to my learning edge. For the class we were required to volunteer with an organization in the community. I enjoyed volunteering at the Star House, a center for homeless youth, but it was not without challenges. The biggest challenge I faced was being able to talk to the youth because I was afraid I would do or say something wrong. When thinking about identity and the privileges associated, I was made aware of the privileges I have being a middle-class, college student with a supportive family. I was pushed to my learning edge and gained so much from this experience. Volunteering at the Star House gave me the opportunity to learn more about the needs of the community and how privilege or lack of privilege may affect the methods for meeting these needs.

During the trip, we learned about many cultures and religions that had impacted Rome and London. We visited The British league of Muslims, a Hindu temple, the Jewish Quarter, and many cathedrals and churches. We also toured areas such as Brighton, where there is a large LGBTQ population and Brixton where there is a large Afro-Caribbean population. Being a member of a minority group, I was very interested in learning how these groups were treated by the rest of the community. I was also curious to see if diversity in the Rome and London had the same meaning as diversity in the United States. In my opinion, I thought London was very diverse and more welcoming to other populations of people compared to the United States. For example, in one of the grocery stores, there was a section dedicated to Ramadan items and I do not think I would see that type of thing in the United States. Additionally, we visited a Caritas location, that serves the sick, poor, and homeless in Rome and it was interesting to compare their views on these populations to the views Americans have.

At the end of my program, we were asked to reflect on how our identities may have created different experiences from our classmates. When reflecting with two other females in my group, we identified the similarities of treatment we had received from locals in both London and Rome because we were female and also Americans. When looking at the differences, my experience differed because I was Asian and many vendors or local people would, at first glance, assume that I was not American when they tried to talk to me. Additionally, a large portion of our trip focused on the histories of the cities, which included the impact of religion on society. My two classmates had not grown up with religious backgrounds so my Catholic upbringing deepened my understanding of the information our class was being taught during our tours.

The change in the way I view my identity is valuable to my life because I am able to better understand why and how I view the world. Academically and personally, my experience abroad has encouraged me to keep striving to learn about other cultures. We learned in class the “danger of a single story” and I fully believe in the importance of not assuming or generalizing beliefs to an entire population or group. In relation to my future plans, I want to work for a nonprofit charity that focuses on underserved populations. My experiences from my trip have shown me more perspectives of the world and views that shape the way people think. Knowing my own identity and how it affects the way I view the world is key to being able to successfully work with the populations I serve, as well as understanding the people I may work with. My STEP Signature Project experience has taught me so much about myself and others and I will continue to apply the things I have learned from this experience, throughout my life.