Go Big or Go Home

I think all of us SUSI students had to have some of this "Go Big or Go Home" mentality in us or we would not be where we are today, in United States. During my time here in Tennessee, I have seen that the phrase fits Americans quite well, from their buildings to their burgers. In my experience they live life to it’s fullest -big personalities and big actions. For a girl from a very small town in Finland it took some getting used to, but now after a few weeks I think we should try to be a little bit more like Americans.

Weeks here in Chattanooga have been beyond amazing! I have experienced meeting people from very different backgrounds than my own, seen places, like the Ocoee river thanks to my host family, that I had never heard about and thought I would never see. I have learned more than I probably can even understand at the moment. Any of this would not be possible without our amazing SUSI team and the brilliant lecturers who have taken time out of their summer time to come and teach us. Words can not properly express how grateful I am to be part of this program and how many and how big of a thanks I want to send to all of these people!

This Wednesday afternoon we had a leadership development session about public speaking from Dr. Mo Baptiste and I think everyone in the audience learned a lot! His presence and the way he held himself during the presentation was something to behold. After his lecture I was even more inspired to try to make a chance in the world. And I believe everyone felt the same way. He told us his story how he became who he is and what motivated him. It left us all wondering who we are and what are our stories.

Dr. Baptiste left us with a question: “If all your bills could be pre-paid each month, what would you do for free because you love it so much?”