Faculty Spotlight ft. Mary Rodriguez

April 7th, 2021

For my last IA event, I decided to watch Dr. Mary Rodriguez’s presentation on her research and experience working abroad. She began her talk by describing her background and how she got to Ohio State. I was fascinated by many experiences she had as an undergraduate and graduate student. Her time spent abroad, for me, was the most interesting to hear about. I thought it was cool that she discussed not only what she did abroad, but also emphasized the impact it had on her. She described it as challenging and difficult at times, but in the end worth it. This was encouraging to hear, personally, since I’m hoping to study abroad in the fall and hopefully more in the future. At the end of her presentation, she listed out several takeaways and skills necessary for doing intercultural work including listening, observing, adapting, and having humility. Her advice was incredibly helpful, and I will try to keep it in mind when I go abroad.

Dr. Rodriguez’s specific findings from her experiences and research were also interesting to hear about. I was most amazed by the statistic that women complete around 70% of all agriculture production around the world. I think it exemplifies the importance of women in our society. Also, it supports Dr. Rodriguez message that we need to help these women by finding new technology or methods that allow them to be more efficient. As Dr. Rodriguez mentioned, most women that she worked with both abroad and in the U.S. have many roles and little time, so improving efficiency will give women more valuable time. Overall, I found her work to be very thought-provoking and cool to hear about, especially how she has used her research to help women. I think this event was a great way to end my time in IA because it reminded me of the importance of being a global citizen, which I believe I’ve learned throughout my time in IA.

IA Research Panel

February, 21, 2021

Recently, I decided to watch the recording from the IA Research Panel. I’ve heard a little bit about research opportunities in the past, but was curious to learn more. As an International Affairs scholar, I think looking into research opportunities, especially centered around international issues, is important to engage with the global community and learning more about the world around me. Each panelists had such interesting research topics and they exhibited the range in what can be studied; from food insecurity to experiences of immigrant Uber and Lyft drivers. Also, it seemed each got into their research through different routes. This was encouraging to hear, and I now know more about various ways I might get into research. If I were to get into research, I think I would start by being a research assistant to get a sense of what the process is like, and then pursue an individual research project.

Another part of this event that I found impactful was hearing about what they got out of the experience. While the process to getting started seems long and difficult, they all explained how it was worth it, and how hearing the stories of those they interviewed was specifically inspiring. Similarly, they described how challenging some research tasks can be, but how those too are worth persevering through. For me this was important to hear because I can easily get daunted by application processes and certain tasks. So, I was, again, encouraged to hear how they felt their experiences impacted them and they will carry on what they learned in the future. Overall, I think I will take away a lot from this event. It has inspired me to look for research opportunities and explore topics I’m curious to research.

IA Service Spotlight: College Mentors for Kids

February 10th, 2021

Service Event

For this month’s post, I watched the service spotlight from last week. I have always been interested in participating in a mentorship program. This one seems awesome, and I love their goal to broaden horizons for young children. My mom is an elementary school teacher so I’ve had lots of fun interactions with younger kids. They’re always so curious, and ask me lots of questions from extremely serious ones to completely random ones. I think a program like this would help children engage with their curiosity and explore the world around them. As well as being beneficial for the kids, I believe the mentors can gain a lot from participating. They have the opportunity to interact with the surrounding community, and make lasting connections with their mentee. After watching the service spotlight, I’m really interested in applying for the program!

GoinGlobal Information Session

November 23, 2020

Professional Development Event

I decided to watch a recording of the GoinGlobal information session event that took place earlier this month. This was a super exciting event for me because working abroad has always interested me, and I was not aware of this great resource. I have heard of Handshake and been taught how to use it. So, it was nice to learn about this resource and learn how to use it. The speaker did a great job of guiding us through the site. The site itself was really straightforward and I think is a great easy resource to use.

My favorite part of the resource was the career guides. These guides were available based on country or city. It was also cool that they had guides for cities in the US as well. As the speaker told us, these guides streamline all the information you need when looking to pursue a job or internship in the respective city or country. They included information like resume tips, visa tips, COVID -19 information, and tips on living there. I thought was interesting to hear too that all the guides are updated regularly by people in those places. With so much changing all the time, especially with COVID-19, I think regular updates is necessary.

After watching this event, I’ll definitely be using and exploring this resource. As an IA scholar, I think exploring any opportunity to go abroad and experience life in another country is important. I hope to be able to just that using this resource.

Third Party Education Abroad

October 26, 2020

Academic Event

I took the time recently to watch a recorded information session on studying abroad through a third party. It was very helpful since I’m planning on, hopefully, studying abroad during the fall 2021 semester, and I was looking at third party programs. The representative from OIA mentioned that third party programs are great because they balance independence and support. I think this is exactly why I was so attracted to these type of programs. You’re not constantly monitored, but there are still people in the country to support you. I have always enjoyed my independence. Yet, I have also never been too far from my friends or family if I need help. I believe a third party program looks like that. I’ll be independent and still have help nearby if necessary.

Even before I came to college or even applied to college, I knew I wanted to study abroad in some capacity. Especially as an IA student, I think studying abroad is essential to opening up ourselves to different cultures and people with experiences different from our own. They offer such an immersive experience that is fulfilling and has a long-lasting impact. I’m excited to, if all goes accordingly, participate in such an adventure, and make invaluable memories. I’m so happy I watched this information session because I learned a lot. But also, it made reflect on why I want to study abroad.

OSU Votes — Civic Engagement and Education

Service Event

September 16, 2020

For the first event I’ve attended, since the school year started, I chose one that I think is very important. This upcoming election is one of the most important yet, at least in my lifetime, which means voting is more important than ever. At this event, we heard from a former IA student involved with OSU Votes. We defined what civic engagement is, and what actions we can take to fight bills we don’t support. For example, as citizens we can petition, protest, canvas, lobby senators and representatives, or call representatives. Used altogether and strategically these methods can lead to stopping bills being passed. When discussing the process for doing this and the actions, one of my favorite points the speaker made was that the main point of civic engagement is to connect yourself to the government. Thus, making our voices heard. I loved this point because that is why participating in civic engagement is so critical. We can’t complain about policies and problems in our country and not try to make a change through civic engagement.

Lastly, we discussed voting. Out of all the ways to practice civic engagement, voting is by far the most essential because it’s how we vote in representatives whose beliefs align with our own. We learned tips about voting, and what resources are best for us to be informed voters. I found this part of the discussion to be very valuable, especially with the pandemic figuring out what’s the best way to vote can be tricky. I’m glad I “virtually” got to this event because as an IA student I know being a good citizen is key to making change here and worldwide.

Peace Corps for Business Students

Last week, I was fortunate enough to attend, virtually, this information session on the Peace Corps, especially the economic development track. I know a little about what the Peace Corps does and what it’s like from my high school French teacher. She worked in Morocco and she would show us many pictures and tell us many stories from her time there. It wasn’t hard to tell how much her time there meant to her. So, even though I don’t know if I’ll ever join the Peace Corps, I have always been curious to learn more about it and keep my mind open to it.

I was super excited when I saw this event because, as a business student, I’ve wondered how I can use what I’ve learned to help others. The presentation was given by OSU’s Peace Corps Coordinator, Laura Joseph, and Nick Dysle who was a volunteer working in economic development. They began with a general overview of the Peace Corps and their goals. My favorite goal of theirs is to connect its volunteers with other countries so that they get a better understanding of its people and culture. And it works the other way too, they want the people they help to get a better understanding of Americans. Next, they talked about economic development, one of the six areas you can serve in. The goals of this area is to improve economic opportunities, market local goods, train future entrepreneurs, and help with business analysis.

To give further details about this area, Nick Dysle, spoke about his time in Madagascar where he did this kind of work. It was interesting to hear about his time working with a Dairy Co-op and helping them grow. He spoke of how outreach and collaboration were key things he had to do to help promote the co-op. I liked that he made it clear that there was no need to have a background in agribusiness to be helpful. One of the biggest things he talked about was the connections he made with the village he lived in, and how the volunteers also work on secondary projects. These projects could include an exercise club, a gardening clubs, or teaching English. This aspect was cool to hear about because connecting with others from different backgrounds, I believe, is one of the most important things people should do.

I’m really glad I attended this info session. It was helpful to learn more about the Peace Corps, but it also made me think about how I can use my degree to help others.

Development Economics with Dr. Joyce Chen

Economics, for me, has always been a topic I’ve found fascinating yet confusing, and at times I struggled to understand exactly what economists do. Hearing from Dr. Chen was really helpful in figuring out just that, and it was interesting to learn more about one branch of economics. Prior to listening to her presentation, I don’t think I thought about how broad the field of economics is, and how many other fields of work it intersects with. So, it was interesting to hear her talk about development economics, which is just one branch of economics. I liked the distinction she made between those economists who are practitioners versus those who are researchers. One is more on the ground working, while the other works more with the design and data of the work. I thought this distinction was interesting because I don’t think its always a clear one and it’s good to know when looking for work in the future.

After covering the basic information of development economics, she got into her research, which was really intriguing to me. The connections between climate change and migration that they were looking for were ones I hadn’t thought of before. One of the most thought-provoking questions to me was whether or not migration is an “adaption strategy”? I thought this was an interesting take on why people migrate; in this case to deal with climate change’s impact on agriculture. As climate change increases, I feel sure that migration will increase, but I wonder if her data has come to the conclusion as well.

Unfortunately, I was unable to be online for the live Zoom Q&A session, but I loved watching it later to learn more about her research. I loved hearing about the links between gender and migration that, anecdotally, has shown that mostly men or single women migrate. Also, that the women left behind on the farms have become more in control of the agricultural processes. Overall, it was clear how passionate she is about her research and I enjoyed learning about it. While economics may not be my favor topic, it was really amazing to see how economics intersects with things, like development or migration.

Carmen Collections Conversations

Academic Event

March 3, 2020 in Hagerty Hall 045

This event gave a look into some of the history of Ohio State. There was a specific focus on internationalization here at OSU. I thought the presentation was very interesting, and I learned a lot of new things about Ohio State. One of the most interesting stories we heard was about the OSU 34, a story about members of the Black Student Union in 1968 standing up for black students’ rights. We also learned about student organizations that had the goal to bring together international students; some are still around today.

I was really happy I attended this event because as an International Affairs Scholars, I think it is important to learn about how international affairs has appeared in our local community. We also had a very good discussion after the presentations, and I gained a new perspective on what its like to an international student in a new country and at such a big university. Ultimately, I really feel that this event will remind me to keep learning about OSU’s history, and the history of my other communities and see how it connects to the world’s history.

Taste of OSU

Campus Event

February 21, 2020 at the Ohio Union

At the end of last month, I had a great time attending  the Taste of OSU event at the Union. I went with a group of students from my floor, and many were also IA Scholars. I was so excited for this event because I love food and learning about new cultures, and this event combined both of those things. Before I even attended the event everyone around me seemed to be raving about it, and were so excited. So, I knew it was something I couldn’t miss.

The event was certainly overwhelming with the many students in attendance and all the organizations giving out food. But, it was a good kind of overwhelming. We tried as many foods as we could and from as many different countries. We had food from Germany, France, Sri Lanka, Japan, and probably others. It was all so amazing and delicious, and then there were the fantastic performances, which we watched for awhile. Looking back on the event, it certainly impacted me greatly. Not only did I get to try new foods and learn more about the cultures they came from, it will be a great memory from my first year at OSU.