Rodriguez, German

Global Citizenship Essay

When I arrived at Ambassador School of Global Leadership in the year of 2011 little did

I know that I would spend the next couple of years growing: physically, emotionally, and

mentally. The school embodies the working of a Global Leader through a set of guidelines it has

installed, and expects students to follow known as the “ Global Performance Outcomes.” The

GPOS are four different outcomes which represent different aspects of how a global leader

functions; through setting those guidelines in stone the school has helped me grow into global

leader and thinker. The GPOS consist of: Investigate The World, Recognize Perspectives,

Communicate Ideas, and Take Action. Each specific GPO has helped develop my understanding

of the world, all while also opening my mind to different solutions and ways to look at obstacles.

Investigate The World- perhaps the primary GPO that has helped me develop into a

complacent leader within our society, it has helped reinforce my global beliefs in many ways.

Investigating the world in a Pilot School such as ours typically means taking on global projects,

being both a learner and student within the classroom, and even having the opportunity to travel

abroad in hopes of acquiring a deeper understanding of the world. To investigate the world

means to investigate past what is only available to you in your current environment, and expand

upon it. At Ambassador School of Global Leadership I was able to do so through my exposure to

different cultures coming from a melting pot of a community- Koreatown. I grew to be extremely

passionate about both the Korean culture and language, and so I took time to study it and learn.

Through my investigation of a new facet of the world, I was able to expand my knowledge thus

learning, as well as take on a leadership role in my trip to South Korea. All of these moments

culminating to make me the student who I am today.

 Recognize Perspectives- to acknowledge that there is more than one way to look at the

world, understand that each culture is unique with a beautiful history that pertains to it. Growing

up in a diverse community I was exposed to different cultures from a young age so I became

adept at distinguishing between different cultures, and many differences that they may have from

mine. It wasn’t until I came to ASGL until I realized what it truly means to recognize

perspectives. Throughout my time in both Middle School/ High School part of my development

as a student and leader meant having my own viewpoints and perspectives challenged, and

working past them to gain a more objective view of the world. Take for example, there have

been many controversial incidents across the world in the past recent years, and I wholeheartedly

believe that the debate that has been sparked across my fellow peers and I has made me a better

individual- one who is motivated to do more than just debate, and make a change. I’ve become a

conscious individual in the sense that my mind yearns for further knowledge, I wish to acquire

knowledge in my pursuit to impact both my community and the world.

Communicate Ideas- the culmination of the growth process into a beautifully thought

product and presentation. Communicating ideas is imperative for anyone who wishes to be a

leader as change is only possible through the introduction of new ideas and views. To

communicate an idea means to take all of the knowledge you have acquired through your growth

process, and to present it in a way that is both scholarly and diplomatic. ASGL has done a

tremendous job of preparing students such as myself through communicate the many ideas that

have been introduced to us through a bevy of opportunities. I am fully aware of the fact that I am

on the way to not only being a global citizen, but more so a leader due to the fact that I am able

to communicate my own perspective, as well as take criticism. Part of the beauty of

communicating ideas lies in the audience alone- reaching a broad, diverse audience means that
your own thoughts and statements have a ripple effect due to the impact that they may leave. The

ability to communicate ideas is a gift that students at ASGL have had the gracious opportunity of

embodying.

Each GPO both symbolically and physically culminating into the model student that

Ambassador School of Global Leadership wishes to produce- one who is ready to lead. Due to

the fact that I am fully aware of the importance of each performance outcome, and how they

have helped me develop I truly believe I am ready for the next level. Upon graduation from High

School I wish to continue using these outcomes to help shape my life in a positive way, allowing

me to grow in a global manner. In college I wish to execute each outcome on a more frequent

basis through the introduction of: new challenges, new perspectives, and a new audience. To be a

Global Leader means to be ready for the challenges that will rise in this new stage of our lives,

which I am more than ready to face. I realize now in the latter months of my last year of High

School, how monumental each of these performance outcomes have been in my life- even

outside of the classroom. When I look back at each year of my life respectively, it is a

memorable feeling to see the growth as a student, one who is passionate to learn and make a

significant impact in the world. I thank ASGL for every opportunity it has provided for me, and

the growth it has encompassed.