 I am incredibly passionate about getting students interested in global learning. I teach at a school that is incredibly diverse. I didn't know about Global Learning Fellowship until my friend told me about it and she had just gone to China and told me how amazing it was. So I knew that once I hit my three years of teaching that I was going to apply. And I am so happy I did. Going into Peru really has changed my life and the way that I teach. Even though I actually lived in Tata Broad, I had never been to South America. I know that next time I have a kid from Peru, I'm going to be able to understand them a little bit better and so that just helps me be a better teacher that way. My favorite experience so far in Peru has been exploring the market. People shop and live in such a different way. It reminded me of my students who take a math task and they solve it in all of these different ways. It was a perfect reminder that diversity and differences are strengths. This is my first international trip. There was a lot of anxiety. Just the unknown, but I knew this was an opportunity I couldn't pass on. So to actually be here and to be with this particular group made all the difference in the world. It was easy to connect with other people because we're educators. Making those connections for the past year with other passionate educators at first through Zoom and now being here, I think I've learned that creating those collaborations is important. Even like looking at this, I was talking with a math teacher about like, oh, it would be cool to do kind of a unit that focuses on the geometry of this and also from the history lens and kind of like building units collaboratively. The world is bigger than our classroom and our students need to be aware of that. Our schools are supposed to be a microcosm of what kids are going to experience in the world. And so we want to be knowledgeable about issues here in the nation and then also around the world so that those next generations, they'll also be knowledgeable about, you know, what's going on in the world around them. During this weekend, we had the opportunity to speak with past participants in the program who clearly were deeply inspired by their travel. It's so much about this group that changed me. We also heard from two educational experts. I really enjoy hearing Dr. Riemer and him speaking about a teacher renaissance. Something we learned from a speaker was that our students globally struggle with feeling value and that has made me feel so connected to teachers all across the world that I have never met. More so than facilitating the workshops and the mentorships. I think that the NEA Foundation has been integral in empowering all of us as global educators and that's probably the most important work that the NEA Foundation could do through this Global Learning Fellowship.