As a biracial Muslim woman who grew up as an expatriate, I identify as part of numerous communities through circumstance. Despite this, my desire to understand others remained. While living in the United Arab Emirates, I was exposed to a plethora of individuals from across the globe, as I attended a high school made up of over 100 nationalities. When I was applying to university, I chose to attend Georgetown's satellite campus in Doha, Qatar as a method of better understanding the Arab world in an institution that has a larger ratio of Arab nationals to other nationalities. Subsequently, I chose to study abroad in Spring 2022 in London to extend my approach beyond the Middle East and expose myself to a different pedagogical and intellectual approach. In my senior year, I transferred to Georgetown's campus in Washington, D.C. to simultaneously complete my bachelor's degree in International Affairs and begin my master's degree in Security Studies. My shift to the United States was significantly driven by my desire to become more familiar with my American roots. Having studied across 3 continents, I found that alongside exposing myself to various pedagogies shaped by each country's respective history and approach to global affairs, I became more aware of my norms and practices. While navigating through life, we often forget the inherent biases that have been instilled in us by our communities. Through such experiences, I entered the process of exploration and comparison, allowing me to critically evaluate many aspects of my perspective that I believed to be the only available perspective. By witnessing other ways of expressing identities, how societies were organized, and approaching fundamental human experiences, I came to realize that there is no universal template for the human experience. As I am dedicated to a life of service to others across the globe, particularly marginalized communities, I realized early on that solely studying other cultures and nations was not enough to acquire a holistic understanding of others. Rather, it was through global exploration and immersion in other's cultures that I was able to enrich my skill of having open, honest dialogue with those unlike myself. Similar to my experiences with global exploration, global exploration is valuable at both the individual and the state levels. As a diverse nation composed of people from various cultural backgrounds, global exploration would invite elements from different cultures that would contribute to the nation’s identity and significantly bolster a sense of inclusivity. Global exploration also offers numerous strategic benefits to the United States, including increased economic opportunities, exposure to new ideas, stronger diplomatic relations, and a more acute understanding of global dynamics. Through such engagement, the United States only sees to benefit from an increased understanding of the practices and interests of other nations. To best navigate our increasingly interconnected world, having an advanced level of cultural awareness and knowledge enables us to engage in more meaningful interactions and foster a world of stronger cooperation.