CFCC International Center Ignites Global Fluency Conversation with Pender Early High School Students
Burgaw, NC — The Siegfried and Louise Goodman International Center at CFCC recently invited Pender County Early College students to participate in an essay contest about the importance of Global Fluency in their future education and careers.
“Global Fluency (the ability to communicate in a variety of cultural contexts) is one of the top ten soft skills employers seek,” said CFCC International Center Coordinator Blythe Bennett. “And we were eager for our first annual essay contest to focus on such a relevant topic for our students.”
First-place winner Abigail Treto, an 11th grade student at PECHS said,
“For my entire life, I have lived in the small town of Burgaw, North Carolina: a rural city that is home to fields of blueberries and woods that serve as a shelter for cardinals and deer. Yes, I cherish my home; but it is not one of vast diversity. When I “grow up,” I plan to become a secondary school teacher. If I were to ever leave the familiar roads of my home, I would also be leaving the comfort of its culture. I would need the ability to understand and adapt to people of different cultural backgrounds to ensure that I can be a competent and respectful teacher for my future students.”
Second-place winner Gisselle Bautista in her essay “Global Fluency Opens Up Worlds,” noted
“I am striving to study abroad and pursue a career in the scientific field. As a student in a different country, I will have to be able to adapt to the culture of the country. My background has allowed me to develop global fluency skills throughout my life. I am a child of immigrant parents. My childhood consisted of cultural foods, traditions, and celebrations. It is an integral part of my upbringing. Attending school allowed me to learn more about the American culture. It was an eye-opening experience realizing that other students had a vastly different upbringing from my own. One can learn a lot from the different cultures in our world.”
Third-place winner Lillian Rousey, in her essay “The Importance of Global Fluency” expressed,
“Being able to appreciate a culture that may be different from yours is so important as your cultural horizon can grow. I have lived in an extremely rural place my entire life, and have always strived to learn about many new cultures. Through arts, media, and foods, I have learned about many new cultures. I strive to learn more about all cultures, as it is a passageway to create an environment where friendships, peace, love, and joy prosper.”
Of the first essay contest, Bennett noted, “What a great response we had! I was so excited to read about how these new college students will use Global Fluency in their future careers in science, education, healthcare, and more. Our world is more interconnected now than it ever has been before.”
The International Center at Cape Fear Community College is dedicated to offering rich cultural experiences to expand Global Fluency for CFCC students. For more info, please contact Blythe Bennett at cfcc.internationalcenter@cfcc.edu .
