Morgan McAulay

UWRT 1102
The Exploratory Essay
January 27, 2015

The Exploratory Essay

When you look at one person and then look at the next, right in front of
your face you can see that everyone is different. People share similar qualities
both physically and emotionally but our make-ups are all completely diverse. This
concept fascinates me. Sometimes I find that we as people forget this notion of
originality and with that comes stereotypes and discrimination. I am a very faithful
person and try to live a judgeless lifestyle. Even though I know the importance of
accepting others every now and then I find myself going through the motions of
questioning others. As a career my dream job would be to travel the world
serving the Lord and spreading the word of Jesus. Ive struggled in the fact that
American society tries to group young adults into categories, or set a quota for
what the sequence of events over my lifetime on earth should look like. American
society tries to tell high school kids that once they graduated they have to have a
college or career path all picked out. This concept baffles me because as an
eighteen year old I am still trying to figure myself out. Im not sure what I want my
life in ten years to look like because I am still trying to find out who I am. In the
near future, I really want to travel and study abroad to be exposed to new
environments and learning opportunities. I want to travel to 3 rd world countries to
teach them about the love of Jesus and bring light to dark places. Through this

Morgan McAulay
UWRT 1102
The Exploratory Essay
January 27, 2015

essay I want to learn how traveling abroad for learning purposes can be
beneficial to myself and other students. I love studying other cultures and
religions as a way to better understand different individuals. When coming to
college I was exposed to a plethora of people, and meeting unique humans is so
raw and genuine to me. When meeting new people its a blank slate to learn from
them as well as an opportunity to share my own story.
In college I am currently undecided on my major and sometimes find
myself conflicted with what I aspire to be. Overall I want to live a purposeful life
serving others, teaching, and listening. I think its very important to remain aware
and be involved in the world around me. It is unsettling to know that many people
live underneath a rock of illusions about society and the possibilities that we each
hold. While exploring what to inquire about many questions have come into my
mind but the overall main idea would be, does exposer to the world impact the
overall well being of a student both mentally and academically? Its intriguing to
know and grasp the traditions of others and then reflect on the similarities and
differences of my own morals and values.
In todays society I find that as a whole my generation is very anti social.
We are a generation immersed in social media yet I wouldnt consider myself
while on these sites social. We live our lives in a bubble of our close friends and

Morgan McAulay
UWRT 1102
The Exploratory Essay
January 27, 2015

ourselves. Why dont we ever sit and talk to strangers at a coffee shop? Why are
we so comfortable following a stranger on Instagram but not when having to start
a conversation with a stranger face to face? I want to inquire further on if taking
in new experiences, or having various influences that differ from ones typical
environment, result in a more easy-going and confident individual. Over the
course of this inquiry project I want to meet and interview people from different
countries living in American. Itll be interesting to see how living here has made
them appreciate where they are from and if being in a new place allows them to
be more accepting. I also want to compare and contrast different schooling
systems and how countries portray education. For example, in Europe its so
easy to go from one country to the next so itll be interesting to inquiry on how
they view diversity and traveling.
One issue of traveling and being able to become exposed to a wide
variety of cultures in person would be the financial aspect of it. Traveling is
expensive and not everyone can afford it, but you can still become aware of
different cultures from researching or watching films. An important part of being
aware of others is to have an open mind and as I inquire more on this topic I
believe I will find out that being exposed to the world does benefit an individual.
Some benefits of world exposer would result in a better-rounded person and I

Morgan McAulay
UWRT 1102
The Exploratory Essay
January 27, 2015

feel like seeing other cultures makes me appreciate my own. This could result in
an individual finding importance in school and being kind to others. The struggles
I face as well as the ones I see others face are all a learning opportunity for
growth and reevaluation of whats important.
Overall I feel like there are many aspects of opening up our minds to new
possibilities and welcoming others. I feel as though, confident individuals tend to
do better in school and those who are sure of themselves typically are more
successful in social settings. If we are all more accepting this will result in a
confidence boost of everyone, which then will create a cycle of creative and
positive people.