Flavia Maria Chamorro Corriols

Countries that I have visited…

I enjoy

travelingWhether its by land, air or

sea, within a distance of 10km

or 10,000km, I take pleasure

in going to different places,

meeting different people and

experiencing different

cultures. I believe that

traveling has provided me

with knowledge, a sense of

awareness and personal

growth that no classroom ever

will. The following slides

depict my most recent travel

ventures and how these

contributed to my personal

and professional

development.

Culver Military

AcademyCulver, Indiana, USA

By spending an entire summer at Culver Military Academy, I was able

to develop self-discipline and resilience. I became a more effective

leader and communicator as I was responsible for organizing a

battalion of girls from different cultural backgrounds…

HACIA DEMOCRACY

Mexico City, Mexico

By attending the HACIA Democracy debate conference in Mexico City, I was not

only able to visit one of the world’s cultural hubs, but also partake in thought

provoking conversations with students from across the globe that share my niche of

interest in pressing issues concerning human rights. I was not only able to develop

innovative solutions, but raise and gain awareness on the challenges than

humanity still has to overcome.

New York City,

New York, USA

San Francisco,

California, USA

By visiting these two

great metropolitan cities

of the United States, I

was able to for the first

time, experience the fast-

paced life of a highly-

industrialized society.

More importantly, I was

able to witness how

progress and

industrialization have an

unequal effect on the

population of two of the

richest cities in the world.

However, I was

exhilarated to experience

how numerous cultures

and a wide array of

people interact to bring

life to a single city they

all call home.

Bruges, Belgium

Bruges reminded me of a family value that tends to be

forgotten: the importance of tradition. By having

something simple, such as the waffle pictured above, I

was reminded of the importance of heritage and

customs on my own identity. The town was small yet

beautiful, and it taught me how those small things that

I often take for granted can be just as beautiful as

grandiose gestures.

By immersing myself in the Spanish culture, I was able to appreciate the art of conversation. I became aware of how a simple conversation can be a great carrier for information about an individual and a culture. Professionally, I learned that effective communication skills can be pivotal in business agreements. However, the Spanish also taught me that a happy life involves balancing business with leisure, and that time spent with friends and family is indispensable.

Madrid,

Spain

Izmir

and

Istanbul,

Turkey

Turkey introduced me to a culture

completely different from my own. It

reshaped my ideas of norms and

opened my eyes to world issues

that are much greater than myself.

Turkey has become a modern

society that still holds antiquated

attitudes towards gender equality.

Here, I became aware of how

privileged I have been.

Naples, Sorrento and Pompeii, ItalyFrom these three towns I learned about human potential. I saw

how individuals were able to cultivate extraordinary skills in

craftsmanship and cuisine. These individuals taught me that while

modern technology can be an asset, it has to be complemented

with human capital.

...…………………...Italy

Florence VeniceRome

Although about half of the world’s artistic treasures are held in these three cities, my

interactions with the people taught me more about humanity than any painting or

sculpture did. I witnessed the power in faith towards bringing people together towards

mutual understanding. This allowed me to experience spiritual growth and to become

more empathetic as I noticed that humans, no matter how different we can be from

each other, we are all on the same boat.

GreeceGreece has a rich history of

empires and philosophers,

which have come to impact

how Greeks live their

present lives. From them I

learned that life is like a

spiral that keeps on going.

They taught me that it is

important to rise back from

one’s mistakes and failures

and continue looking

forward striving for

progress.

Barcelona,

Spain

Barcelona’s liberal atmosphere made me become more open-minded and willing to

accept and embrace change and new ideas. I became more receptive to views that

differed from my own and learned cosmopolitan ways of viewing controversial

topics.

In Paris, I learned to value friendship. I learned that

friendships are hard to find but that true friends are

the strongest support system a person can have. Like

traveling, friends also introduce you to new ideas,

challenge your views, change your preconception,

and teach you to appreciate people that are different

from yourself.

Paris,

France

As I began to explore the world, I realized that I knew

more about other countries and cultures than my

own. For the first time, I was able to see that I had

taken for granted the beauty of my own country

because I had the privilege to have it right in front of

me. The most recent trip I took was around Nicaragua

in order to get to know the people that I share my

country and culture with.

Nicaragua

Traveling has given me the opportunity to try new food, see

new sights, have new experiences, develop new ideas and

perspectives, and create new friendships. It has altered my

perspective on issues and has led me to see the world

differently. Additionally. traveling has helped me develop a

sense of identity and awareness of who I am in relation to the

rest of the world. It has shaped my character and made me

aware of the issues that people struggle with around the

world. It has made me a talker, a questioner, a person that is

not afraid to ask for help. It has molded me into an efficient

leader, yet a listener and a follower. Traveling has opened my

eyes to the world, and it has allowed me to see that the world

is very large and that there is more to see than the eye’s

capacity, that perception is not always reality; but that the

world is also very small and that in the end, we are all quite

similar.