Looking Forward 

By Sofia Tascon

This quote speaks volumes with its truth value. It reminds me of the concept of volunteer projects, where after a certain number of weeks of service being completed by a group, the feeling of accomplishment can mislead people into believing that the work is now all complete. However, just because at some point you must travel back, does not mean that the city/town you were in is officially “saved” or completely better off in the long term. Often times there a systematic issues bigger than us that can take years to resolve. Therefore, it’s important to be mindful of the language and attitude used while describing volunteer efforts. Once you go home, one of the best things you can do is to spread awareness of the issue as well as what you have learned from your experience. 

As my experience has wrapped up, I have learned about governmental and environmental issues occurring in the country of Spain. I am proud of my efforts to interview different members of FSU staff with the help of my supervisors, Jack Clifford and Susan Hellstrom as well as FSU Valencia Director Ignacio, who suggested me different contacts. I’m very grateful for all the aid I’ve been given as well as the willingness of FSU staff to be interviewed. I really appreciated all of the conversations I had, they felt more than interviews, but a real chance for me to learn about an entirely different regime and systemic issues such as the use of Spanish taxpayer dollars. If I could wish for something else to be done, it would be to conduct a large scale study where I interviewed more subjects for a larger sample. A week after the program ended, I just visited the Royal Palace of La Almudaina where there was a whole section devoted to explaining the history behind the current royal family of Spain, including photographs of the individual family members accomplishments. Looking at the fall semester, I’m excited to take what I have learned and compile it all together for my Global Scholars presentation at the end of the year. I am also hoping to further involve myself in research at the CRE at FSU, including the Research Intensive Bachelors Certificate Program I was accepted into as well as exploring options like Social Science Scholars for future governmental study.