On the International Scholars Program 

          The International Scholars Program at UF and the experiences I’ve had as a member of the program have had a meaningful impact on my life by teaching me how to think critically to interpret global and intercultural issues and how to communicate effectively with members of other cultures.  Learning how to address global issues and employ effective communication in doing so comes from having the understanding that we are all connected in one way or another.  I think as time has progressed and technology has advanced, people have done a good job of realizing that simple truth on some level, whether that is that their whole family is connected, or their neighborhood, or even their state.  However, we haven’t yet reached the point where we understand that this truth can be extrapolated to the largest scale.  The whole world is connected.  Just because I live in the United States does not mean that what happens in Europe does not affect my life.  The fact is that it does!  And that’s a good thing in my opinion.  In my international business class I witnessed this truth play out in an economic sense by exploring the trend of globalization and the progression toward a global economy.  It is true that globalization is not just a buzzword, it is a phenomenon that is occurring on a daily basis and being facilitated by innovations in business, technology, and transportation.  People everywhere should recognize this trend and do their best to adapt to it, because at the end of the day it brings all of humanity closer together and leaves us better off so that we can combine our efforts to focus on achieving universal goals like peace and addressing universal problems like food insecurity and rapid population growth.  Having this understanding as a foundation is what my global learning experiences at UF gave me, and I am better prepared to tackle life’s toughest problems because of it.

          The understanding that we’re all connected is important because of the various global and intercultural conditions and interdependencies that exist in today’s connected society.  We are at an unprecedented time where we are experiencing a worldwide refugee crisis, as I learned in a campus life event I attended recently.  Refugees of the war in Syria are seeking safe haven across Europe and instead of fulfilling our role as a world leader and helping these struggling people, our current administration has implemented isolationist policies on trade and travel that have made it difficult for struggling Syrians to obtain refuge and to expel those in our country who are undocumented.  These policies, which can now be seen in countries across the world, have come on the heels of exceedingly high levels of terrorism caused by ideological differences in culture and religion.  These are disconnects in different philosophies that were never addressed and have therefore become exacerbated to the point that they are now manifested in acts of terror and violence.  It is never too late to address these issues.  But while safety and security are necessary, I do not believe that isolation is the answer.  What I have always believed, which the International Scholars Program solidified for me, is that meaningful engagement is the answer.  This lesson can be found abundantly in mistakes of the past, and my hope is that the future can be different.  Engagement rooted in mutual understanding, understanding that we are all connected and that at our core we are all striving to meet the same basic human needs, is the only way we can appreciate our individual differences while working together to solve our common problems.

          My place in this big picture, where I relentlessly engage with communities to learn, understand, and solve problems has always been Cuba.  As President & Chairman of Inspire Cuba, my most impactful role thus far, I have grown exponentially as I’ve strived to make a difference for the Cuban people and private Cuban organizations.  My life’s purpose, I believe, is to bring Cubans and Cuban Americans closer together by reconciling differences and rifts that have led to over 50 years of isolation.  In this capacity, the International Scholars Program has made me a better leader as I have incorporated the many lessons I have learned through the program over and over again in my work.  This perhaps culminated in one of my campus life events called ONE WORLD, an annual conference that connects people from around the world to explore innovative solutions to global problems.  I had the opportunity to be a speaker at this event, where I presented an innovation in kiln technology and an accompanying program that would allow private Cuban cooperatives to produce charcoal from plant material more efficiently and effectively.  Leading Inspire Cuba effectively has required my limited perspective on various issues to evolve continuously.  The ability to incorporate the understanding of new perspectives into the evolution of my own is something I owe to the ISP at UF, and it is a beautiful example of one small thing we can all learn how to do to understand this big world a little better and become more connected as a human family.