Miguel E. Grullón

“Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.”

From the first time that I encountered it until this very moment today, and possibly many more to come, Vincent van Gogh’s quote resonates with me in unimaginable ways. It is the epitome of the perspective I would like to keep throughout my journey, in our world; our paths are to wander, and we are the designers of where all our meandering takes us.

Having been born American, yet raised in a small northern beach town in the Dominican Republic, from a very young age it shaped my viewpoint of the world. Regardless of being fifth generation New Yorker and American, and traveling between my two “home” countries constantly, neither ever fulfilled the richness I was looking for, now that I look back. At the age of 7, I moved from my small town to Miami, Florida, and at 7 and a half I moved to New York City. Mind you, the language I had ever learned how to speak prior to moving was solely Spanish. The frustration of not being able to speak English, nor communicate at school or oftentimes with my older American siblings, who had remained working in the U.S. was tremendously difficult. There was a period when I was mute.

At such a young age, an experience of the sort can be deemed traumatic, but it was all on the contrary, that was the beginning! The struggle was worth it, and each one that came after it too. Growing up with American roots, Dominican connections, and European heritage, just made me want to open my eyes all the more. It increased my curiosity for the foreign, for the strange, for the unknown to another level. A fresh mind can absorb information and develop in extraordinary ways; learning English, then proceeding to learn Italian, was phenomenal, it invigorated my passion for the offshore topics. My mixture of cultures, along with the cultural sensitivity and knowledge I sought out, guided me to another foreign adventure at AUP.

I arrived at AUP, August 2014, at 17 years old, still a minor, no French skills, just with my curiosity, positivity and audaciousness to help me through. That’s an unforgettable feeling!

I chose AUP having never visited it, simply keeping my confidence alive in that with the vast opportunities at AUP I would fall in love with Paris all over again, and I did, it hasn’t disappointed in any respect. Getting welcomed at AUP by people from all over the world, from Kenya, Germany, Russia, Spain, Mexico, Luxembourg, England, Saint Lucia, Colombia, Portugal, Libya, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Egypt, more, and of course from France, made me feel at home. The diversity found within this small university, I believe is unparalleled; we are a community of complete strangers, coming here knowing no one, yet leaving as if we have travelled the world just by befriending representatives of every corner of our societies. That’s the gift of AUP, but you have to risk your comfort zone in order to reap the wonders of acquiring an expansion of your worldliness and independence. To become an AUP global citizen, taking risks and learning is what molds a true you.

My goal for my path at AUP is that I want my courses to take me on a ride that challenges my thoughts, and they have and will. As a student of International and Comparative Politics, I’m examining political, social, cultural, religious and economic outlooks from American, European, Asian, and global contexts. At AUP, your professor is not the only instructor; you learn from your city experiences, and most importantly from your fellow classmates, who all have to offer a unique stance. Our multicultural student body, in small classroom settings, fosters learning in a manner that no university on U.S. soil can, because in politics there is no “right” or “wrong” way, it is a matter of opinion, and in a classroom of international students your mindset evolves, you mature, and your career progresses.