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Jackie Chin

AIFS Program: San José, Costa Rica
Let’s get into it! As a Senior Psychology Major, studying abroad has taught me more about human behavior than any textbook could. Being a student of life is about living outside of your comfort zone. It would have been easy - incredibly easy to stay where I was and do what I was used to. But I knew I wouldn’t grow that way! I think that to really know yourself, you have to be willing to shed everything you know - your language, way of life, even friends and family for some time. And when that happens, you learn to view yourself in a global context. While living in Costa Rica, immersed in a foreign language and culture for 3 months, I realized that we each have an obligation to one another - to both teach and learn. My experience through AIFS taught me how language shapes reality. We as students must work to create a better, more connected, and more sympathetic world. As I pursue my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, I hope to provide free art therapy to Black and Latinx (Spanish-speaking) communities placed at risk. I am so excited to help other students discover and define themselves through this life-changing opportunity - feel free to ask me anything! “Our lives our not our own. From womb to tomb, we are bound to others, past and present. And with each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.” - David Mitchell, “Cloud Atlas”

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