Written by Reina Adriano, Hult Global Ambassador and Masters in International Business Student Class of 2018.

Gaining new perspectives

I assumed getting accepted into Hult was exactly what I needed to gain new perspectives. There was no telling when the need to be in Boston began for me; neither how the inevitable question of leaving or staying in the Philippines led to a point in which I chose the former. Nothing profound influenced my decision – all I had was a bucket list of adventures and endless possibilities.

“Time has taught me to accept the possibility that an education abroad cannot change the status of my country overnight. But it has also given me the hope that maybe one day it can.”

Before then, there was little room in my mind for making big changes in the future or for helping my country in grandiose ways. At times, I would entertain this kind of hope, but time has taught me to accept the possibility that an education abroad cannot change the status of my country overnight. But it has also given me the hope that maybe one day it can.

Whatever the reason was for my decision to study abroad, I made it and enrolled at Hult. If only I could express what it’s like flying into the States all by myself – how excited, overwhelmed and confused I felt at the same time. It took me a little while to adapt to what studying abroad was all about, and to get used to being part of a business school in which every student has a different nationality.

Becoming a part of the global generation

It’s amazing to learn about so many new cultures, but sometimes I almost felt slightly guilty of being part of the global generation. I felt like I had a responsibility to try, see and do everything possible. In the first few months of my stay, I was venturing out almost all the time, wanting to visit one place in Boston after another, trying out many things. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to explore but if you indulge too much you tend to lose the ability to appreciate every place.

It had not occurred to me that part of being a member of the global generation meant taking care of one’s own roots as well as adopting new ones. I was trying to absorb as many different cultures as possible, shedding away my own habits. I was trying to uphold many different traditions and ended up with my own ideas slightly confused and intertwined. I was trying to become part of the global generation but started to forget about my own part of the globe.

A lesson learned

Up until the point, I joined Hult, I had always assumed that being in the global generation only meant exploring as many other cultures as possible. I was aware that different backgrounds provided the cultural diversity people had been talking about and I wanted to be a part of it. I have now learned, that the global generation doesn’t start from knowing every different culture all at the same time; it starts with firmly knowing yourself.

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Reina Adriano is a Filipina studying for a Masters in International Business at Hult in Boston. Being a stock-trader, she plans to enter the world of finance after graduation but also hopes that she can still do something else: to write and to write about people, like she has always done. Visit her blog.

Hult offers a range of highly skills-focused and employability-driven business school programs including a range of MBA options and a comprehensive one year Masters in International Business. To find out more, take a look at our blog The privilege and responsibility of being part of the global generation. Download a brochure or get in touch today to find out how Hult can help you to learn about the business world, the future, and yourself.