Blog Post #3 – Sammy Pisano – Global Citizenship

 Before this study abroad and even on my trips to Europe in the past, I honestly did not think too much about the global implications of my actions and how they impact the rest of the world as a whole. I think that, as Americans, partly because we are such a diverse and massive country, we too often get consumed by domestic issues and things that are happening inside our country. This is the trap I fell into multiple times as a combination of news feed and social media consumed my information. This trip has really opened my eyes to how what happens domestically has a large impact in Europe and the rest of the world. One of my favorite things we have done on this trip thus far has been meeting with the diplomats in Vienna for that short time. They were very interesting people, and I loved learning about their completely different backgrounds and how they found their way to becoming a diplomat for the United States. Omar’s story specifically stood out to me, as his was very similar to my grandmother's, living in Cuba for her childhood and then being forced to move to the States when Fidel Castro came to power. Ken’s story was also really cool, as he was a firefighter before his current job. Some of the stories about the places they lived were very interesting, and the wide array of languages needed was also a surprise to me. I think that the biggest thing that stood out was the complete 180 that they had to do in transitioning from the Biden administration to the Trump administration. This switch showed me how our voting patterns impact the direction that our foreign policy takes and how drastic a difference it can make. For example, many of the priorities now are much more focused on the economy than on the environment compared to the last Biden administration.


I think this trip has really opened my eyes to how important it is to follow what is happening around the world, the impact the U.S. specifically has as a global leader, and how it affects many things in Central Europe. I never thought too much about being a global citizen before this, but I now see that even just following developments in the news makes you a better global citizen and more informed about certain issues. Probably the biggest takeaway I have had from this trip is seeing the perspective from Austria and Germany in terms of trying to build a sustainable ecosystem, and I think this context is important, as it shows places like the U.S. what is possible in the future. I think these perspectives can help you understand what other people think and think more like a global citizen instead of just being confined to your own country.

Comments

  1. Cass WheatleyJune 1, 2026 at 2:16 AM

    Great perspective! I was also fascinated by the different backgrounds of the American diplomats. They have lived in such a vast array of cultures, many of which are not westernized in any way. While we usually think of cultural exposure in reference to wealthy, westernized, "global north" countries, these diplomats have also experienced many global south cultures with entirely different values, political systems, religions, and even alphabets. I cannot imagine enduring some of the work they have done! I was also surprised at how much their agenda changed with the change in office, and it was inspiring to hear about how they maintained relationships with other diplomats despite controversial policy changes and budget cuts.

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