People Who Think Differently Can Teach You the Most
Interview with Gabrielle Fuzeaux, United States
“My biggest learning was really listening to people and being understanding,” Gabrielle told me.
It’s easy to assume the people most like us will understand us best. But when I spoke with Gabrielle, I heard the opposite lesson.
As an international student from France studying marketing at Rutgers University in the United States, Gabrielle expected to learn new skills through the Your Big Year Fellowship. What she didn’t expect was how much she would learn from people whose experiences looked completely different from her own.
Through conversations with peers from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds, she discovered that some of the most valuable lessons come from listening to people who see the world differently than you do.
Finding Time to Invest in Yourself.
One of Gabrielle’s biggest challenges wasn’t a difficult assignment or a group project. It was finding time. Like many students, she was balancing classes, extracurricular activities, and personal commitments when she joined the fellowship.
“I was taking a lot of classes,” she said. “It was hard to balance school, my activities, and my personal schedule.”
The experience required something many students struggle to make room for: intentional self-reflection. “You have to take the time to do that,” she explained. “If you rush yourself, the results aren’t going to be as good.”
Looking back, she believes the challenge was worth it. The fellowship helped her become more confident and more intentional about the future she wants to build. The Lesson She Didn’t Expect to Learn. Gabrielle has always been interested in people.
As a marketing student, she enjoys understanding what motivates others and how stories can create connection. Her long-term goal is to use marketing to connect people across cultures and create meaningful impact. But the fellowship taught her something she wasn’t expecting. When she met students from around the world, she realized how much she could learn simply by listening.
“Talking to peers from all over the world helped me realize just how different people’s perspectives are,” she said. Those conversations showed her that every person brings a unique set of experiences, challenges, and ideas.
For Gabrielle, understanding those differences wasn’t just personally meaningful. It was a skill she knew would help her in her future career, her relationships, and everyday life. The experience also strengthened her confidence.
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“The fellowship gave me confidence and reminded me that my voice matters,” she said. Conversations Across Continents. When I asked Gabrielle about her favorite part of the fellowship, she didn’t hesitate. The pen pal sessions. Each session paired participants with different people from around the world, creating opportunities for conversations that might never have happened otherwise. “We could talk about anything,” she said.
“Projects, goals, our lives, our journeys, things we were struggling with.”
What stood out wasn’t just the diversity of experiences. It was the willingness of people to support one another. Participants shared advice, encouraged each other through challenges, and celebrated one another’s successes.
For Gabrielle, those conversations transformed the fellowship into a genuine global community. Coming from both French and American cultures herself, she especially appreciated hearing perspectives from peers in places like Nigeria, Brazil, and Indonesia.
“It was so diverse,” she said. “It was really good.” Those conversations didn’t just teach her about other cultures. They helped her better understand her own.
Gabrielle’s Advice for Other Students.
Before we finished our conversation, I asked Gabrielle what advice she would give to other students around the world.
1. Never stop learning. Growth happens when you’re willing to try new things, ask questions, and stay curious.
2. Start somewhere. You don’t need a perfect plan before taking action. A goal, a project, or a dream only grows when you begin.
“You don’t have to always be productive,” Gabrielle said. “But you have to start somewhere.”
3. Speak up. This was the advice she returned to most often. “Your opinion matters,” she said. The experiences you’ve had, both the successes and the struggles, might help someone else who is facing something similar.
“You might inspire people and not even know it.”
One Thing I Took Away. After talking with Gabrielle, one idea stayed with me. The people who think differently from us aren’t obstacles to understanding. They’re often the reason we grow.
By making time to listen, ask questions, and learn from others, Gabrielle discovered something bigger than a professional skill. She discovered a wider view of the world and her place in it.
