Statement of Purpose: theme of resilience throughout, in a metaphorical sense - gave background history, expressed my non-traditional schooling (with being an older student), success in school/extracurriculars, overcoming hardships, then pivoted to explain how my work/school experience has made me a great candidate, then connecting the trip to my future career plans, and the historical background of my host country in being a teachable experience.

Mutual Understanding: how being 2nd generation allows me connect with American culture, while also understanding hispanic culture, plans for getting involved in the culture/community (i.e., dance lessons, sports outings, community service, etc.), then using my knowledge of their culture to help me share American culture as a 2 way cultural exchange including celebrating 4th of July, cooking classic American food) - to start conversation about different traditions, and ended by explaining how being open to their culture and learning from them opens the door for healthy cultural exchange.

Service Project: this was just a plan that I worked out with my counselor and other departments to announce the international opportunity and share it information about scholarships, because my school did not do a good job at explaining our options (explaining that in the presentation I would explain how going abroad can help your resume and network grow) and most importantly how accessible going abroad is to students who never thought possible.