Pauline Vigneron Thinking Outside the Box I am a swimmer at Eastern Michigan University, therefore I fulfilled the group 1-­‐ Self and Well-­‐being requirement (participate in Coached Sports Teams). As a student-­‐
athlete, I have to find a balance between education, school and leisure. Moreover, I have to develop skills and habits for my sport: I have to show up on time for practices, be professional, maintain a good GPA, etc. As a swimmer, I also represent the university at any time: in class, during away meet, at home, etc. Our coach always reminds to behave correctly because we represent the swimming team and EMU. This year, I am a senior and I have to be even more careful and professional in order to be a good role model for my teammates. When you are a senior, you have to show the right example, take care of your peers and help them when they are in trouble. I chose to complete this particular LBC experience because I love this sport. I come from Belgium and I decided to come and swim at EMU in 2011. EMU gave me the opportunity to swim in D1 and study abroad. This experience was incredible for me, I experienced the American dream. Everything changed: I came to a new country, discovered a new culture and learned a new language. EMU gave me the opportunity to study abroad and learn a new language. When I came at EMU (2011), I could barely speak English and now I can say I am trilingual in French, Dutch and English. During my four years at EMU, I also took some other classes as PEGN 210L Lifetime Wellness and Fitness, COB200L Introduction to Business and CTAC 495L Communication Capstone and I really enjoyed them. Learning Beyond the Classroom credits gave me the opportunity to obtain hands-­‐on experiences, gain skills for my future job and those credits helped me to think outside of the box. Especially, for my communication capstone CTAC 495L class, I worked with Susan Sohn and the Office of International Students (30 hours requirement) and it was life changing for me. The fact that I came at EMU, swam in D1 and took LBC credits changed me. When I came at EMU, I was shy and wasn’t talking much. Now, I am double majoring in communication and journalism. I am independent, assertive, responsible and not shy anymore; my classes definitely helped to shape the way I am today. Being a student-­‐athlete also changed my character and mentality, I am stronger than before and I think it will be a great advantage for the future. Hard work, courage, discipline are definitely the keywords for succeeding in life. Also, being away from your home changes you. You have to be responsible, independent and watch for yourself. Coming into a new country is not an easy thing to do. You have to adapt to new things and change your habits. Being able to adapt to any situation is also a great asset to have in life