Skills

In my time at the University of Florida, I gained many life skills that have and will continue to help me as I open the next chapter of my life. Here are a few of the skills that have helped me the most in my professional and international experiences.

Adaptability

In life, it is very important to be able to adapt to surroundings. Something that I have learned through my travels and cultural experiences is how to adapt. For example, while I was studying abroad I had to adapt to the Spaniard way of living. In Spain, they rely primarily on the Metro and bus system for transportation rather than cars. They also work for shorter periods of the day and usually take a nap before dinner, especially over the summer due to the heat. Another thing that I adapted to was the lack of home commodities like air conditioning or a drying machine. These things are uncommon in Spain so my roommate and I had to find alternate ways to keep our home cool and dry our clothing. I really enjoyed learning about these different customs and even started implementing some when I got back home. Through experiences like these, I learned how to adapt to my surroundings and "roll with the punches."

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Communication

When interacting with people of all cultural and ethnic backgrounds it is important to use different communication methods. I am lucky enough to speak both Spanish and English, however, sometimes this is not enough. For example, in my time as a NaviGator, I met people from many places like Spain, France, Australia and even Cyprus. I spent the most time with my Spaniard and Cypriot friends, however, I quickly realized that despite speaking the same language in conversation, there were certain things that were not always understood in the way they were intended. Through these relationships, I learned how to use other communication methods like body language, facial expressions and hand movements to help me better interpret what is being said. I learned how to use context clues to help me understand and create relationships with these individuals.

Organization

Throughout my whole life organization had been extremely important. Growing up I was always involved in several extracurricular activities while also balancing school. Starting at the University of Florida was no different. For example, in my time here at the University of Florida, I learned to balance different organizations like the Hispanic Public Relations Student Association and NaviGators along with a social life and classes. Also, despite COVID-19 shaving off a few years, I managed to organize my schedule to study abroad. These experiences taught me to plan ahead and create time sheets to maximize my time. I was able to do so much becuase of my ability to organize myself and others.