Meaning of Global Citizenship: Hudson Galardi-Troy

April 22, 2022

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

Over my life, I have been very fortunate that my family could afford to travel. I have been to many places, and on each of these trips, I have learned specific life lessons by immersing myself in other cultures and interacting with new people.

One of my more recent international experiences that left me inspired was when we visited Sicily. This trip really connected me with my heritage and helped me to feel more connected to a country aside from The United States. We traced back our ancestors that were in Sicily before they immigrated. We found out about an architect that was decently famous in his time that was a relative, and we even went to visit some churches he had designed. This long-term connection to the past helped me feel a deeper connection to my family’s culture and heritage, which gave me more insight on the origins of my family traditions.

One of the earliest trips my family took was to Hawaii. On this trip, I learned that some of the most interesting opportunities in life can come from interacting with strangers. You are constantly told as a child to not talk to strangers, and this is good advice to a certain extent. On the other hand, if you meet the right people, it can change your life. When in Hawaii, by chance, we met a man named Google. After talking to him at a restaurant, he invited us to visit his house. He turned out to have a large home with an inlet natural pool in his backyard (that had turtles that would swim in from the ocean). He was a very interesting person and he gave us a tour of a volcano the next day. If we had not talked to this stranger, we would have missed an amazing opportunity and connection. This experience made me feel much more open for future cultural and personal opportunities.

Another influential international experience was the time we went to Puerto Rico. This experience was eye-opening to me because I had never been exposed to the extent of poverty I saw in certain parts of that area. We were staying in a resort but, right outside the limits of the resort, there were people basically living in sheds. This really put things in perspective for me and made me very grateful for my privilege that I had taken for granted prior. It also made me more inclined to participate in charitable events. For example, when I got home I started volunteering at a local food pantry. This made me think of the SDG (Sustainable development Goal) 10: reduced inequalities. This goal is personally important to me and also encouraged me to continue to volunteer to help those less fortunate than me. After witnessing this first hand I have definitely expanded how I think about the world, and my place in it.

Immersing yourself in other cultures through travel can be a great way to learn about the world and yourself. I have learned many lessons over the years through this method, and I plan to continue to do so in the future.

Hudson Galardi-Troy

2021 Cohort