Throughout my four years in the Academy for Global Studies program at Austin High I have learned about different cultural, environmental, and educational perspectives. This was possible due to traveling to Heifer, Costa Rica, New Mexico, and Thailand. Each trip allowed me to explore aspects of another country I would not usually think about if it were a vacation with my family. From participating in a poverty simulation at Heifer, practicing my Spanish with the locals of Costa Rica, talking with Native American students in New Mexico, and constructing mushroom houses with my bare hands in Thailand, AGS gave me the opportunity to expand my understanding of unique lifestyles when compared to my own. I learned to take less things for granted. For example, not throwing away left over food on my plate, turning off the faucet when brushing my teeth, and even becoming grateful for being able to flush the toilet. Simple actions like the ones previously mentioned are commodities but after experiencing first hand that these tasks are not always readily available in other places. Not only has AGS provided extensive knowledge about different cultural, environmental, and educational perspectives, it has also taught me to branch out and expand my inner circle. For example, on AGS trips and group projects I was assigned with people I had never talked to or became close with prior to that particular occasion. This enabled me to talk about and learn from people I had not previously been familiar with as well as bonds I would not have made without the nudge from assigned groups. Overall I am grateful for the unique opportunities AGS has given me throughout my four years of high school and its ability to expand my mind through new and exciting experiences.