Life-changing experience in North Carolina

On July 2, I left Malta and flew across the Atlantic to Wake Forest University, North Carolina, US. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to get into; BFTF, or rather Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship, a summer programme organised by the Department of State.

This was the most amazing experience of my life; I was the only one from Malta however, the other 60 participants came from all over Europe and the US. All of us had been hand-picked by the American embassies in our respective countries and then we were told that we could change the world if we only tried. Young as we are we all had specific talents which were chosen to create the perfect atmosphere for an intellectual stimulation of a lifetime.

The first week was based on classes, four classes that taught each and every one of us something new, even if we were already familiar with the subject. We had the chance to see how the same thing brought out different results in every one of us, every nationality came to be important in our discussions as the achievement reached a higher level of discussion than usually reached in the normal classroom.

After came the week-long trip. Here we boarded on a bus and from the University travelled to Philadelphia, Washington and Williamsburg. This was to show us the history of the American society and at the same time enlighten us about the importance of true democracy and how it can be challenged by the people themselves. The trip included visits to museums, The Washington Centre, where we met people from organisations such as the International Monetary Fund, The World Bank and from the UN. In Washington we were allowed to visit the Senate and see a session in action.

The highlight, however, was the visit to the Department of State. Here I set foot on the path the world leaders walk and we participated in a discussion with diplomats from within the system that were very friendly and answered as best they could.

Back at Wake Forest we then started to take part in the workshops. Here we were split into groups, five in all, and then we were set tasks to do. These tasks included two main themes, community work and debates. The community work was the one emphasised the most, and it was a life-changing experience as it helped me get over barriers I had set around myself and grow up as a person.

On the last day as we were saying goodbye and promising to meet again, we decided one thing: we decided that we would work to change the world. It has been a month since we left from the US but we already have three projects underway to work and help those around us in any way we can. To do as we have been instructed to do; to change the world by being ourselves.