Here’s a look into what makes me, me.
Where I’m From
New Jersey
For the first chapter of my life I was raised in northern New Jersey, just outside of NYC. Although my family moved at a young age, this region has strongly shaped who I am given that nearly all of my family still resides here. I was fortunate to live only about 15 miles outside of the city, so my mom and I frequently visited the many museums. I feel lucky to have had this opportunity in my childhood, as I was exposed to many cultures and arts at a young age, undoubtedly shaping my interests and personality into what it is today.
Ohio
Just in time for my senior year of high school, my family made the decision to move to Ohio. This was a huge challenge for me, uprooting me completely away from my loved ones on the East Coast. This experience drove me outside of my comfort zone and allowed me to grow in ways I didn’t think were possible. It also was my first true introduction into the world of intercultural communication, as here I attended a private school that was fluttering with international students from all corners of the world.
New York
At a young age, my family decided to move to New York, about an hour outside of NYC. Here I faced my first taste at adversity: moving away from my friends and family, while also relocating away from my favorite place, NYC. I spent most of my life here and it’s the place that I call home. New York has shaped my personality into what it is today, teaching me to be bold and fearless, tackling all tasks head-on, while also maintaining loyalty, responsibility, and awareness.
Funny enough, in a bit of a full circle moment, I landed my first job after university back in New York. Now I spend my days in the city exploring new corners, exposing myself to as much of the culture here as possible after work and on the weekends.
California
When it came time to decide on which university to attend, my heart was drawn to California. When I was 8 years old, my family came to San Diego for a work conference for my father; ever since then, I promised my family that I would move here when the chance came. San Diego State allowed my California-dreams to come true. Here, I learned not only how to become independent, but also how to thrive on that independence. It allowed me to fully discover who I am and evolve into who I’m meant to become. I came here completely on my own and built a life for myself, something which I’m very proud of. California allowed me to grow in unimaginable ways and put me far outside of my comfort zone and I am unbelievably proud of what I accomplished in my 4 years there.
Where I’ve Been
Europe
I have been fortunate enough to visit several nations across Europe, which have helped to broaden my perspectives and open my mind to new ideas, cultures, and languages. During my second year of high school, I was invited on a trip to Spain led by my school’s art department. Here, I got to practice speaking the language, while also traveling the country exploring different artworks and architectures. A few years later, I was invited by a Spanish family to spend several weeks at their home, immersing myself into the language and culture. I also studied abroad in Italy during the fall of 2020, spending several months in Milan and several months in Rome, again immersing myself in the language and culture, while also diving into my family’s heritage and even contacting some Italian relatives. Other travels with my family and with my friends have included: England, Northern Ireland, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Greece.
Asia
During my senior year of high school, I completed a study abroad experience in China. This program ran for my entire winter term and completely immersed me within the culture. Here I faced several challenges, with the language barrier being the primary one. I was forced to adapt and pick up bits and pieces of the language (I carried around a journal filled with key words) so that I could get by. This trip placed me entirely outside of my comfort zone; while at first it was scary, I eventually realized that this was a great opportunity to learn more about myself and others, as well as this culture that was so foreign to me. I spent time in Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, and Shanghai, while also visiting many small villages surrounding these large cities. I tried as many things as possible, knowing this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: eating street food, hiking The Great Wall, attending a Chinese Opera, partaking in a traditional tea ceremony, among many other things.
The Americas
Within the Americas, I have visited several nations, islands, and states. Inside of the US, I have visited 38 states (largely throughout the several road-trips I have completed while traveling back and forth between home and school). Throughout my travels within the country, I have learned about the many differences in culture between regions. My mom has also instilled into me the importance of learning the history of the different areas we visit, likely due to the fact that she once was a history teacher. Most of our trips consist of some-sort of regional history tour or visit to a local museum.
Outside of the U.S., I have also visited several Caribbean Islands with my family and friends.
Within the Caribbean, I have visited Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and the Cayman Islands. Puerto Rico has proven to play the most dominant role in my life given that I have several family members who have resided there as well as having an uncle who married into a Puerto Rican family. My time in Puerto Rico and around Puerto Ricans has allowed me to embrace the Spanish language and greatly improve my skills.
Aside from that, I have also travelled to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. In Costa Rica, my family befriended a man named Diego who once again allowed me to practice my language skills and thoroughly improve my Spanish language abilities. He guided my family throughout our stay and introduced us into the concept of traveling off of the main route and visiting less touristic sites in order to gain a broader understanding/deeper perspective of the culture.
What I’ve Done
Peer Mediation:
Throughout most of my upbringing I served as a peer mediator in school. Here, I learned skills far more valuable than I ever imagined when I first underwent training at 12 years old. I worked to resolve conflicts of all proportions between fellow classmates. I helped two opposing parties sit together in peace, discuss the conflict at hand, and arrive to a safe and equal resolution that benefitted both parties. This experience hugely shaped my communication, listening, and conflict resolution skills.
Travel Blog:
I have been maintaining a travel blog in order to share my experiences with the world. This has become my main platform to use to help promote places that I have visited and experiences I have had with a broad audience in order to give people authentic recounts of destinations prior to booking trips. So far, I have reached 5 continents and 23 countries. My blog has allowed me to combine my passion of travel with my love for marketing through self-promotion of my own content; it has proven to be the best of both worlds for me!
Soccer:
Throughout my entire upbringing, I played at a premier level of soccer. My team was consistently ranked among the top 20 in the USA; I played all across the country, traveling long distances for games every week. My head coach hailed from Colombia and my assistant coach was a trainer for the USA National Team. They instilled into me the importance of reliability, timeliness, and a sense of personal responsibility. On the soccer field I learned how to be a valiant leader and team-player, while also learning how to be humble both through wins and losses. Aside from this, my coach also helped me to hone my Spanish language skills.
International Virtual Buddy:
During Spring 2021, I was hand-selected by the top-ranked San Diego State University Global Education Office to act as a virtual buddy to an exchange student abroad who was unable to attend classes in the USA due to the COVID-related travel restrictions. Here, I acted as a liasion between the university and a student based out of Italy. I helped educate the student on life at an American university, as well as navigate any difficulties she faced when communicating with professors or classmates from abroad. I helped improve the student’s English, while concurrently improving my Italian.
Madalyn Monto 