Balancing Identities and Finding Yourself Abroad

The first question we are often asked when we meet new people as college students is, “What is your major?” Most of our lives revolve around our classes and how we are pursuing our careers. Yet as I reflect on what I value and how I want to be known, I must also weigh how much I want to allow my career aspirations to define my identity.  

On one hand, I am proud to be a first-generation college student of color, pursuing a degree in neuroscience with plans to do research and pursue medicine. I enjoy spending time in long labs, listening to and giving science talks, and taking classes in neurobiology and biochemistry.  

A chance to connect with heritage

However, I started to recognize that the spaces where we are comfortable, where we allow our ambitions to absorb most of our time, could be dangerous. While engagement with my community and support from my professors at college are important to me, I started to recognize that the places where I could grow most lie outside of this comfort zone.

While engagement with my community and support from my professors at college are important to me, I started to recognize that the places where I could grow most lie outside of this comfort zone.

I chose to go abroad to find my identity beyond neuroscience major. In part, I wanted to connect with my Hispanic heritage by learning Spanish and improving my ability to speak with my relatives from Mexico. I wanted to explore new interests and learn about communities in Yucatán. In Mexico, I have also had the chance to learn more about public health, a field I have not had many chances to engage with at my home university.  

Finding space for new experiences

As I begin my journey in Mérida, part of the process of exploring other identities is feeling confident that you don’t need to justify how studying abroad relates to your major. People are surprised when I tell them I am majoring in neuroscience, responding with eyebrow raises and slow head nods. In the chaos of choosing classes, I had to create space to engage with diverse disciplines. This came with a lot of stress. I feared what I wouldn’t understand fully or enjoy. But then I realized that with an open mind, I could find love for many things: hearing stories of art and the history of Mexico through literature, kneading clay in ceramics, and rushing out on Friday nights to Zumba. With these new experiences, I am giving myself grace and time to transition into a new space.

I also still find pockets of my comfort zone (there are more connections to STEM than you might expect with study abroad). I have had the opportunity to engage in research and find skills that apply to my STEM degree.  

It turns out, you do not have to be only a student. You can find space to be a person, too. And study abroad created the space for me to find myself.

Marina Saffold | Pomona College | IFSA Mérida Universities program |  IFSA First Generation College Student Scholarship recipient | Spring 2025