My STEP Signature Project consisted of a global education experience in London, England from May 13th until July 5th. During my eight weeks abroad, I studied British politics and interned for a nonprofit organization called Hope for the Young that assists refugees and people seeking asylum access mentoring and grant programs.

I could never have anticipated the shifts in my perspectives, behaviors, and views of the world which this experience would bring. Before landing in the United Kingdom, I assumed that the culture would be indistinguishable to that of the United States. However, I soon learned this was not the case, which led to modifications and expansions of my abilities, comfort zone and appreciation for the world around me. Living independently alongside the physical separation from loved ones also forced me to become more confident in both my navigation skills and self in general. My study abroad experiences completely transformed my time at Ohio State.

While visiting any city’s top attractions allows for quick and effective submersion into a new culture, I found speaking with others imperative to getting a better understanding of life outside of the United States. During lunch breaks at my internship, I spoke with my coworkers about the current political environments, university admissions and social norms of our respective countries. These moments provided bigger perspective on life in the United Kingdom and British humor. One weekend, I visited Wembley Stadium during one of Taylor Swift’s performances in London. Here, I met two fans in similar positions as me. While we all had totally different backgrounds, as one had just moved to London from New Zealand, and the other had just come back to the U.K. after finishing her undergraduate studies in Pakistan, we related based on our interests and our recent arrivals in the city. While we listened to Taylor’s singing, we also discussed our unique adventures, reminisced on our childhoods and examined how differently we all celebrated holidays. Through these many different conversations, I became more inquisitive and understanding about other cultures and new perspectives.

While abroad, I found my methodology for exploring new cities change. Prior to studying abroad, I researched and created an extensive list of interesting locations around London. During my first couple of weeks, I visited and checked off new sites every day, eager to see as much of London as I could. One day, a few classmates and I stopped by Hyde Park to sit and enjoy the warm sunshine, which was a pleasant change from the chilly rain that had passed through London. We sat on the grass, spent time together, made friends with the local geese and read the rest of that afternoon. While sitting there, I saw many locals enjoying the nice weather as well. From this point on, I realized the importance of appreciating every aspect of life, especially while in a new city. Days spent running around, rushing to new locations were exhilarating, but taking some time off to enjoy the natural scenes and environments were well worth my time, too.

While interning, I was provided exceptional opportunities to gain skills including leadership, initiative and adaptability. I had never worked with a nonprofit before, and I took advantage of every chance to learn and grow with them. My main duties as an intern included marketing and communication for the nonprofit, but the experiences I had didn’t stop with just those tasks. Instead, I also gained interview and ad management skills, learned about the nonprofit’s grant decision process and met their mentees and grant recipients during a picnic meant to commemorate the students they worked with. This experience increased my confidence, reliability, time management, and initiative skills immensely.

Professionally, I learned what working at a well-oiled nonprofit with a collaborative and enthusiastic team looked like. Every Wednesday, Hope for the Young held team meetings where everyone discussed the tasks they completed the previous week, what was on their plate this week and any of their “highs” for the week, which were heartwarming moments they experienced. I felt myself and my work was valued by the team, who welcomed me with open arms and allowed me to share my highlights and tasks every Wednesday. Academically, I learned about the British political system, its history and even met with a Member of Parliament during a class period. My classes also allowed for real-world exploration and curiosity. We went out and visited locations like the Docklands Museum and the Imperial War Museum for class, and we also took a day trip to Cambridge. During these periods, we explored personal interests which related to our class topics. Personally, I left the United Kingdom a totally different person. Due to my extended time in a foreign country, many aspects of my character were positively affected. I became more confident, understand the world a little better and appreciate what I’ve done and my time at Ohio State much more.