Hi! My name is Ellie, and I am a freshman at IU majoring in international studies. I am also studying French, and during 2008, I had the opportunity to spend the summer in France. That experience showed me how much of the world opens up to you when you learn a different language or experience a different culture. During college, I hope to study abroad for a whole year, maybe in France or West Africa. I would also like to begin studying a new language, possibly Spanish. I don’t know exactly what I want to do after college, but I would like to find a job that will be satisfying, which for me means I will feel I’m making a positive impact on the world.

My worldview and how I perceive my role in global society has done a lot to shape how I want to live my life. I think it is important to keep an open mind and to be able to develop and change your opinions and beliefs. I also believe that especially as our world becomes more “globalized,” we are connected in more ways than we can possibly understand, and the consequences of our actions extend far beyond ourselves. The best we can do is to be informed citizens of the world and to try to understand people different from ourselves, to respect the environment, and to live in ways that promote equity and do not take away from the quality of life of others. I don’t want to sound naïve; I know that there are rarely simple answers to questions that we deal with today. Instead, we are facing complex issues that will take patience, creativity, dialogue, and a lot of hard work to confront. However, I think it’s important for us to envision the kind of world we want to live in.

In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”