Becoming a 'bridge builder'
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By Anastasia Gogiashvili
Having lived the better part of my life abroad, I’ve learned the importance of building bridges between people and between cultures, instead of walls. I am Anastasia Gogiashvili, a first-semester freshman at George Mason University here in Korea.
On the path to my dream of becoming an international diplomat, I believe George Mason University Korea has been absolutely helpful.
My background is unique in that I have lived in numerous places in the world. I happen to have been born in Uzbekistan but I was raised in Russia for two years.
Afterwards, I went back and forth between Korea and Georgia until 2009 when I started attending Busan Foreign School, an international high school taught in English.
I was privileged to learn the Russian, Georgian, Korean and English languages as I resided in those countries. Not only the languages, but also the cultures that I was exposed to helped me mature with a global mindset.
Learning about people from different walks of life has broadened my horizons. It has been a wonderful experience to learn that diversity really does add color to our lives, and that diversity should bring us together instead of driving us apart.
But unfortunately, not many people and politicians realize that. Recognizing such conflict is how I came to select my major at George Mason University Korea, global affairs.
When I first heard about George Mason University Korea, it caught my attention that the campus itself is called the Incheon Global Campus. My aspiration to learn in this global environment gave me an enormous incentive to apply.
I can assuredly say that there has not been one time that I have regretted my decision to come to George Mason University Korea. I have been able to interact with people from different countries like the U.S., Kenya, Uzbekistan, Japan, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan and so on.
Such interactions not only helped me further develop myself as a global citizen of the 21st century but also proved the idea that diverse people with diverse backgrounds are able to cooperate in vivid synergy.
I also had the unique chance of meeting a North Korean refugee who provided me insight into the worldview of people from one of the most inaccessible countries in the world.
Also, I am looking forward to the year that I will spend on the George Mason University U.S. campus, which is located in Fairfax, Virginia, near Washington, D.C.
Being in the hub of diplomatic relations of the U.S., I am excited for the opportunity to learn about international politics on a deeper level.
George Mason University Korea is helping me become a “bridge builder” between countries. Not only do I get to continue to experience the cultures that I’ve been raised in, but I also have learned vicariously from my international friends. Because of George Mason University Korea, I have been able to learn more about my field of interest as well as becoming a true global citizen.
The writer is a George Mason Korea student majoring in global affairs.