Global Competency Certificate: Ella Parker

Extracurriculars

Three years of Photography Club, as co-president and co-founder

Hunger for Justice 36-hour fast and service retreat

Special Olympics, refereeing and volunteer in local Salem chapter

Four years each of varsity soccer, varsity basketball, and varsity track and field

My Future

Academics

Four years of French, including AP French Language and Culture

Green Scholars focusing on human development and impact worldwide

AP Art History, introducing global competency through understanding of how a region induces a specific artistic product and how art impacts world diplomacy and relations

In the fall, I will become a part of the University of Chicago's class of 2017. As a part of this class, I will have the opportunity to major in any field of my choice with a supplemental chance to study abroad. I am particularly interested in Prague and Vienna, but am not worried about eventually visiting both. After graduating, I hope to pursue journalism or perhaps artistic restoration in countries of turmoil and struggling independence--in the heart of where global conflict, beauty, unity, and growth are at work.

International Travel

Trips to Canada

Foreign Exchange Program

Finally, in 2017, I embarked once again on my final trip to Canada. Back to Montreal, this time having already been, but still with the same sense of excitement. A second time, I was even more deeply affected, as this time each place we visited already held a memory for me. I felt a part of me becoming part of another culture and country, as I came here different than I was here last, but still deeply connected to each place.

What I learned, was that every place is worth visiting twice. I saw and appreciated things differently than I did the first time. With a greater mastery of French, even more opportunities were available at my disposal, and even more connections stood to be made. What I really learned, which I had not anticipated, was that traveling to a place cements your memory in the place and the culture, because though you may be more aware of your connection than most, the existence of a place and culture is entirely built on the people and ambitions that had the courage to journey there.

My freshman year, I went on my first Canada trip with the French department. This was my second time in Canada, and my first time in Montreal. Here, I first got to apply my French speaking skills and engage in the culture not only as a tourist but as a speaker. This trip definitely deepened my love for the language as well as further opened up my interest to the opportunities brought about by learning a language.

Through this trip, I learned that I had far to go in terms of mastering French, but more importantly that one of the most imptant resources I had at my disposal for mastering it was my ability to travel to and take part in the French culture.

This entailed an exchange with high school students from France, which they stayed here in Swampscott for two weeks. This probably had the most impact on me of all programs, as it felt the most personal and most revealing. To live with and immerse myself in the life of another teenager whose only difference from me was their place of birth, was fascinating. I truly could see and learn how one's culture and home affected their development. My student, Louise, was incredibly sweet and compassionate--constantly trying to engage me and learn more about America. This common interest into other cultures helped me reflect on my own interest in her culture, and has since made me determines to embark to France on my own exchange someday.

In 2016, I had another opportunity to travel to Canada with t French department, but this time to Quebec. I was particularly excited about this trip as it involved the most historically and deeply French city in Canada. Here, I was most deeply affected by the tangible presence of another culture in every piece of architecture, the artwork, and the traditions. To experience and understand the appreciation for beauty in the archaic (and stair-filled) nature of the city was an incredibly unique takeaway.

This trip ultimately helped me learn that the world is full of people who use their love of their ancestry to mobilize their present state, as we visited curling rinks, coffee shops, and waterfalls whose mixing of old and new culture created a refreshing experience that I had never experienced at home.

What does it mean?

To me, being globally competent means being able to be empowered by the knowledge and understanding of other cultures; their values, traditions, and ways of life. It encompasses someone who is innately curious about human interaction on a global scale, both critically and creatively.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERING ME FOR THIS CERTIFICATE!

Why am I globally competent?

I consider myself to be globally competent because I have not only been made aware of, but have taken all travel opportunities given to me. These adventures have helped to expand my appreciation of the singularity that is our world, and a hope that I can someday explore it all. By nurturing and feeding this appreciation, I hope to one day be able to define myself as Ella Parker, citizen of the world, rather than citizen of one country.

Global Competency Certificate: Ella Parker