Becoming a Global Scholar

By: Sindhu Bilapati

When I first heard the phrase Global Scholar, it didn’t feel like a title to me. It felt more like a way of approaching things. I see it as putting yourself in a new environment and really taking the time to understand it. Not just what you’re doing, but why it matters and how it connects to something bigger.

This summer, I’ll be in Jacksonville working with the Anatomical Modeling Unit at Mayo Clinic. I’m excited about the experience, but what matters more to me is what I’m starting alongside it. I’ve been thinking about building something called the Anatomical Modeling Initiative, or AMI. The goal is to bring 3D anatomical modeling into education in a way that actually helps students understand what they’re learning. I want to start at Florida State and see how far it can grow from there. This summer is really where that begins.

A lot of my time will be spent learning how imaging becomes a physical model. I want to understand what that process looks like in a real clinical setting and how those models are actually used. Seeing that up close will help me figure out what makes something useful for students. I’ve always felt that anatomy is easier to understand when you can interact with it, not just look at it on a screen. That’s something I want to bring back with me.

My Capstone-Based Inquiry is built around this idea. I’ll be talking to people who work with these models to understand how they use them in their day-to-day work. I want to see where these tools are already helping and where there’s still room to improve. From there, I’m hoping to start designing models that are meant for learning. They won’t be tied to a specific patient, but they’ll still be detailed enough to be useful. That’s how I see AMI starting, something small but real.

I won’t pretend I’m completely comfortable going into this. There’s a lot I still have to learn, and I’m trying to build something at the same time. That can feel a little overwhelming. At the same time, I know that waiting until I feel fully ready would mean never starting at all.

Being a Global Scholar also means being present in the space around me. I want to connect with the people I meet and learn from them in a genuine way. My background has shaped how I see those interactions, and it’s something I carry with me wherever I go.

This summer isn’t just about gaining experience. It’s about starting something that I hope will continue long after it ends. That’s what being a Global Scholar means to me.