What I Gained From Studying Abroad with CIMBA
Written by Mikaela April 19, 2016
Like most people, I was hesitant when choosing which CIMBA classes to sign up for. Specifically, I was unsure about the course LEAP, which is a leadership development course. I was teetering between adding LEAP or giving myself more time to travel and hang out. Fortunately, I made the final decision to sign up for LEAP because without it, I wouldn’t have grown individually and professionally by such leaps and bounds in such a short time period of 3 months. Even at the end of the semester, I could clearly tell who had taken LEAP and who hadn’t just by the way they handled the stress from finals.
It’s hard to fully explain a course that is personalized for each individual, but in essence LEAP gives you the option to learn a refreshing perspective on life and matches you with a coach who helps guide you through a goal over the 3 months. The class and the coaching also leads you to better understand and process what you are experiencing while traveling to new countries. Though I took many ideas away from LEAP, here are 3 top ones for me.
The top 3 things I learned LEAP:
- Slow down: Efficiency is not a global value. It’s ok to take time for myself and make decisions that allow me soak in the amazing moments my friends and I create.
- I am in control of my world: Every day, I choose to be happy. I can not control what happens around me, but I can control how I act and react to every situation.
- Stress can be my friend: Changing the negative perspectives of the physical reactions during stress to positives ones.
By studying abroad, I wanted to live in memorable moments and come back a little more insightful about myself and the world. From traveling through 8 countries and living in a new culture, I surely achieved both. Along with the LEAP class, I took the goal of growing individually to a level I didn’t realize I could take it. For anyone who is uncertain about signing up for LEAP or not, do it. If you give the class your full effort, it will help change you for the better.
Blogger: Mikaela, University of Minnesota
