Sarah Carroll
Welcome to My Cultural Experience
A look into who I am and how my time abroad has shaped my world view.
About Me
Personal Profile
From a young age, I’ve always had a sense of motivation and passion driving me forward. Whether it’s exploring unique opportunities, learning additional skills, or meeting new people, I bring these values to every experience throughout my life on a personal and professional level. The true drive to my passion is my innate desire to experience new cultures. From my time abroad and education, I have become an experienced international affairs professional highly skilled in strategy, negotiation, and analysis. I thrive under pressure and approach challenges with solutions-oriented creativity. My education has expanded from Political Science, International Relations, Global Economics, Women Studies, and Hungarian. My broad view of the world has allowed me to discuss and learn perspectives from all different cultures.
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My Experience Abroad
International Travel
Reconnect Hungary
June 2018
I spent a month studying in Budapest, Hungary, and the surrounding areas to connect closer with where my family is from. Reconnect Hungary allowed me to understand the meaning of my heritage and its importance to North America and the world. Throughout the trip, I was able to expand my connection to the land and people of Hungary, deepen my personal commitment of the Hungarian heritage, and find a community that is vibrant and spans continents. My time there was also politically aimed. I was able to meet with politicians to discuss immigration issues, international trade agreements, and the current social climate. The real change I saw in myself, was my ability to connect with others from different cultures and backgrounds over in Hungary. For instance, I worked with the Roma people and their children and taught them English and normal western customs. This process allowed me to gain a passion for people, excellent speaking skills, and the ability to communicate past what I am used to in the states. Upon returning home, I continued my journey with volunteer assignments that promote and support the Program with other members. The trip allowed me to network socially and professionally, and participate in alumni activities. Because of my time abroad, I feel fully integrated into the Hungarian Diaspora.
Reconnect Translyvania
July 2018
Similarly, to my month in Hungary, I spent a month in a remote region of Romania. Cluj, Romania is in the region Transylvania, a Hungarian prominent place in Romania. Here, I studied similar political topics but those more aimed toward the strife of refugees and tRomaoma people who live here. This immersion allowed me to uncover the region’s natural beauty and historical landmarks and living cultural traditions. During this trip, I mentored high school students informally by tutoring them in English and deepening their knowledge of American culture. I also gained invaluable, hands-on work experience by volunteering 25 hours a week at a nonprofit. This program allowed me to have the opportunity to learn upfront and personal how other young Hungarians live; make life-long friends, and enrich my identity through cultural immersion.
Education
What I’ve Learned
BA University of Florida
Double majored in Political Science and Womens Studies. Graduated Magna Cum Laude and was a UF International Scholar.
August 2015 - August 2019
Eötvös Loránd University
Earned 8 ECTS and a certificate of a B2 level completion for knowledge of the Hungarian Language.
July 2019
Key Courses & Languages
HNG 1130 & 1131
Beginning Hungarian 1 & 2
These courses I was able to take at UF, allowed me to grow close to a language and culture that is not commonly available to learn. Hungarian was what I grew up hearing in my household, and being able to take a sequence of these courses allowed me to better my knowledge of the language as well as communicate with my family.
POS 4931
Introduction to Refugee Studies
This was by far my favorite class I have ever taken at UF. This class fueled my interest in refugee studies, that I ended up writing my senior thesis on the subject. This class took a closer look at Syrian refugees and how they are currently impacting the environment of eastern Europe. this includes economically and politically. This class gave me a further look and understanding on what I saw when I went to Europe.
CPO 2001
Comparitive Poltics
This was a concise look at the environment of international politics and the types of government systems there are. I felt like this was the beginning fo my passion and understanding for politics oversees. This class gave me the basic skills to understand the government styles of various nations.
DAN 2001
Dance Appreciation
This was by far the most interesting class I have ever taken. It took a look at Dance styles throughout the world. Every class I would not only learn a new dance but the background and history behind its origin. This class shaped the way I thought about learning traditional folklore dances when I visited Hungary.
Campus Engagement
Lending a Helping Hand at UF
International experiences that shaped my time on campus.
February 2019
Florida Crisis Simulation
The Florida Crisis Simulation granted me the experience to run my own international debate conference, through the UF Model United Nations program. The conference brought together over 300 people from around the world to debate on global issues such as the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution.  The guest speaker was Foreign Service officer Amy Radetsky, who was not only engaging with myself and the other students but was able to answer in-depth questions on the current state of Venezuela. I felt hosting this conference gave me the ability to not only look at different world events from different perspectives but also meet people from different backgrounds.
January 2019
GatorMUN
GatorMUN 2019, was a 3-day international debate competition I helped staffed. I worked as a director who taught high schoolers about the International Labour Organization (ILO), and its connection with migrant rights and child labour laws. Dr. Selden was the Guest Speaker, as well as the Ambassador to Mexico. They gave two completely different world views on current politics as Dr. Selden focusses on more of the European aspect, and the Ambassador discussed Latin American Politics. I felt that this experience was absolutely beneficial to my culture awareness as I was able to interreact and discuss labour laws with people from all over the world. I felt it was even more fascination to learn the opinions and views from high schoolers, to see the difference in their opinions, from my peers and young adults I know.
April 2019
4th Annual International Food Festival
A culture cusine awakening. My attendance at the International Food Festival was exactly what I needed to get a little taste of everything. I ended up really experiencing two main culture's and their respective dishes. I was lucky enough to try Tostada (Cuban), and Musakhan (Israeli). The experiences allowed me to branch out of my bubble and begin trying different types of dishes from different cultures.
June 2019
Harm Museum Exhibit
This exhibit culturally inspired me.  I chose to visit and learn about the "Inside Outside: Outside Inside -A century of East Asian Landscapes". I lack little understanding of this particular region of the world, so I felt it was important for me to expand my knowledge and "bubble". This exhibit was particularly eye-opening due to its use of landscapes that were centered about the political history of places such as China and Japan. font. I’m a great place for you to tell a story and let your users know a little more about you.
Reflection
My time at UF, has been nothing short of a cultural experience. Starting with my first semester, I dove right in, taking language courses in Hungarian to grow closer to my heritage. This then granted me the opportunity to spend two months oversees, in Reconnect Hungary and Reconnect Transylvania. The time I spent for those three weeks allowed me to connect with a culture that I only ever heard stories about from my grandparents. My time overseas gave me a taste of what it means to be Hungarian, I still have a tremendous desire to reconnect with the culture of my past on a more long-term scale. The thing I realized a lot growing up as Hungarian in North America, is that not many people knew what that meant or even could locate Hungary on map. They would be very unaware of the language, region, and culture. I would find a lot of my time explaining what I am. However, what branched me out in the Hungarian –American community and even allowed me to educate myself on the culture was my language lessons at the University of Florida. It is very uncommon for a University to offer an extensive Hungarian program, when they are not located in a prominent Hungarian community. So, the opportunity for myself to take the Hungarian language courses over the last four years has been a blessing. The knowledge that I gained was able to be applied to the organization I have given most of my collegiate career to: Model United Nations. Through them, I was able to debate on historical events of particular interest to me, such as the 1956 revolution or when Hungary joined NATO. These conference such as Florida Crisis Simulation and GatorMUN allowed me to connect with a broader audience to debate such international issues. The International Scholars program at UF has allowed my passion for the culture to never wavered. This program has specifically aided my growth as an individual in experiencing new cultures. This program gave me the opportunity to be independent in a new community while furthering my language studies.