IA Global Health and Pre-Medicine Panel 3/23/2021 Prof. Develop.

Hello! I watched the IA Global Health and Pre-Medicine Panel on March 23, 2021. This panel was very engaging and informative. I intend on applying to medical school in approximately a year, so getting this exposure to medical students at The Ohio State University College of Medicine is amazing. They had four panelists present that shared their passion for traveling, their involvements, and future goals. Their insight into the transition from undergraduate education to medical school was relieving because they stressed that, although medical students do have to study a lot, there is time to have a social life and be yourself. Moreover, I resonated with their advice to do things that you really enjoy during undergrad. As a pre-medicine student, there is a lot of pressure to get a certain number of hours and activities or else medical schools won’t be interested in you. Each panelist came from a different background with many different interests and experiences, which really outlined how they were able to balance getting the “necessary” requirements while still enjoying their life in college. Lastly, they shared some tips on the medical school application process. Their tips included applying early, getting everything organized right away, only apply to schools that you are willing to write the secondary essays for, and staying true to yourself. This was an amazing panel, and I loved listening to their advice and experiences.

The Language of Antiracism-Afro-Brazilian Arts and Activism Lecture Series 29Jan2021

I was attracted to the event by my experience of being an exchange student in Brazil for my junior year of high school. When I joined, the panelists were speaking Portuguese, and I loved that I could understand them and connect as I did years ago in Brazil. Moving into the session, we listened to the song Contraste Social. This song called out the social constructs and the extremely racist police that make up a large majority of the force. I was shocked to learn that this song came out in the mid 1990s because not much has changed since the song’s release. The professor told about how on November 20th, Black Consciousness Day in Brazil, his students create large anti-racist demonstrations at the central points of their universities. I appreciate that they do not just contain their growth in the classroom, but try to inform their communities. Other topics that were discussed included extremist messaging targets to young boys on social media, racist slang that is often used absentmindedly, and 5 tips to be an anti-racist. These tips include acknowledging our own biases and racist ideas, seeing the racism in our society/community, defining racism and anti-racism, identifying racist systems, and working to fix these problems. Overall, I loved this session and learning more about the racism that communities I hold close to my heart are experiencing. I hope that someday they can experience the same inclusion and equity as their counterparts.

Science Career Fair (Prof. Development) 6OCT2020

Hello again! I attended the Science Career fair on October 6th at 3:30pm. I was super excited to attend because I am constantly looking for ways that I can gain more experience and learn more about the field I wish to spend the rest of my career in: Medicine. The medical community is highly competitive, but many fail to recognize how supportive representatives can be. For this career fair, I signed up for a group session with the Ohio State College of Medicine. I aspire to one day study in this college, so I thought it would be beneficial to hear from their representatives some of the key opportunities that could put me in one of their classrooms in a couple short years. The representatives present were Matt Post and Lindsey Hutchinson. They did an amazing job of outlining positions available through the college and several other departments on campus. This led me to explore their website more and find several intriguing clinical positions. One the most interesting positions they mentioned was working with patients in the covid-19 vaccine trails. I will definitely look to apply for positions from the postings in the near future.

Presentation of Dr. Ines Valdez (Academic) Oct 28, 2020

Hi! I attended a presentation given by Dr. Ines Valdez, a professor and researcher at Ohio State, on October 28, 2020 at 3:30pm. At the session led by Dr. Valdez, I learned about her research in the fields of the politics of immigration, transnationalism and cosmopolitanism, and the imperial origins of western democracies. She bases a lot of her views and work off of the publications of W.E.B DeBois as she sees a lot of connections between his conclusions and her own. I found it interesting that she noticed how much race (being non-white) and the policies created were intertwined into the foundations of suppression. Moreover, she spoke about the classes she teaches and possible certificates one can earn in a variety of areas. The most notable minor she talked about was the new latino/a minor. Overall, I learned that racism is not just white and black and has been present in all aspects of life since colonial rule. In the future, I could see myself using her thought process to understand what it means to be non-white globally. As I intend to travel and eventually care for diverse populations in the medical community, it is important for me to be aware of how current policies and social structures impact the lives of others. I am also informed on other possible educational opportunities that can help further my career by showing that I am knowledgeable of a diverse range of complex social topics.

Service Spotlight: Students For Justice Postcard Making (Service) 24Sep20

Hello again! I attended the Service Spotlight: Students for Justice Service Event on September 24th, 2020 at 6:30pm. Diewo Camara led us through the activist opportunity provided by Students for Justice. She explained that the role would involve writing and sending postcards to de-registered rural minority voters. All of the postcards would be provided with a script to make them look great. “Reclaim our Vote” helps increase the voter turnout significantly as most people aren’t aware that they have been de-registered. It was appalling to me that the government was able to de-register voters with the intentions of targeting specific racial and socioeconomic groups. To contribute, I signed up to write a few postcards!

Prepping for a Virtual Career Fair (Professional Development)

Hi! I attended the “Prepping For a Career Fair Virtually” information session on September 3, 2020, at 5pm as Professional Development Event. What attracted me to this event was that I want to be more prepared for the Science Career Fair on October 6th. The career fairs this year are so different from last year was a result of Covid-19. This information session prepared me for the expected changes and taught me how to still be engaging through a video conference. Some advice Barbara Harvey gave us was to establish your purpose for attending the career fair. Then, register for actual fair, draft your resume, and sign-up for individual/group sessions with companies. On the actual day of the fair, it is important to maintain eye contact, be engaging, have an elevator speech, and have a question on hand. Lastly, she said that the most important step is to follow up with the employers within 48 hours. All of these tips are extremely helpful in planning for the Science Career Fair, and I look forward to using each one soon!

Multicultural Center Training 2-16-20 (Prof. Development)

I attended a Multicultural Center Training on February 16th, 2020 at 8pm in the Ohio Union. The program was led by Ashley Zong. She covered the widely-discussed yet controversial topics of identity, implicit bias, and diversity. Besides the insomnia cookies so graciously provided by Steven Blalock, the event was amazing. From the video that demonstrated the internal conflicts children go through everyday when they don’t understand why they may not feel comfortable in their own skin to the in-depth conversations about how implicit bias’ can be resolved, everyone was in tune with their morals and values. A few points in particular stood out to me. First, I did not realize that I could relate to my peers that feel out of place during family events because they do not physically represent their heritage as they may not look like their grandparents. Next, it was brought to my attention that when telling stories, people always assume every character is white unless stated otherwise. This seemed crazy to me because it is so true. It is these little displays of minoritizing that force me to rethink my actions and thoughts and how my past interactions are influencing my future relations with diverse populations. The last thing that stood out to me was the quote attached. I am extremely to have attend a session like this and look forward to attending more events sponsored by the Multicultural Center.

Late Night Breakfast 12-4-19 (Social)

Hello! This event happened a little while ago, but I attended the Late Night Breakfast on December 4th, 2019, from 9pm to 10:30pm in the Smith-Side kitchen. This social event was especially enjoyable because I was very stressed going into Finals Week. Moreover, the breakfast was in collaboration with PSL and ACES, which are two other scholars programs that work closely with the IA scholars program. The advisors of each program worked hard in the kitchen to make a delicious breakfast for about 100 of us. There was so much food that people even had the chance to grab stuff to take for breakfast the next morning. Throughout the night, I conversed and relaxed with my peers over bagels, fruit, eggs, bacon, pancakes, and UNO. We were all in the same stressful situation with our final exams looming over our heads, yet we made time for eachother. In addition, I got the chance to meet more of the upperclassmen that are in my scholars program. In college, someone’s time is precious as there is often not enough time in the day to do everything necessary. Overall, I really enjoyed the dinner, and I hope they do something similar to this for the spring semester.

Spring Student Involvement Fair 1-16-2020 (Campus)

At the Involvement Fair

Hello! I attended the Student Involvement Fair on January 16, 2020, at the Ohio Union from 4-7pm. I had a bit of a different experience than the average go-er. I was there with the Women’s Team Handball Club as we had a table and I am the Founder and President. There were a lot of people that came through the Fair, so we got to recruit a diverse group of women. This was particularly interesting because many people had heard about or took an interest in it depending on where they were from and how open their mind was to trying something new. Specifically, an Asian woman signed up to come play with us because she had seen our club practicing in the gyms before while she was on her way to play badminton. Moreover, we took turns going around to see all the different tables and displays the other clubs had to offer. Some of the displays were very creative and were very beautiful. All of this related to the International Affairs Scholars Program because three out of the five Women’s Team Handball Club’s original founders are members of the IA Scholars Program. This scholars group brought us together and allowed to leave a positive legacy at Ohio State. In addition, the Handball Team has attracted several international students, especially from Brazil as it is a popular sport for women there. Overall, I look forward to this upcoming semester with the team, and I am glad Ohio State puts on Involvement Fairs to help clubs get their name out there to students to join!

Peace Corps Informational Event 11-4-19 (Prof. Develop.)

Hello! I attended the Peace Corps Informational meeting on Thursday, November 14th, 2019 at 6pm in 136 Jennings Hall. What motivated me to attend this event was that my sister had been a part of the Peace Corps and traveled to China to teach English. Moreover, my involvement with the International Affairs Scholars Program contributed to my increased interest in the program as international travel and diplomacy is constantly encouraged. During the meeting, Laura Joseph, Ohio State’s Peace Corps coordinator, spoke on what the two-year commitment entails. There are six different program areas that a volunteer could end up serving, such as agriculture, education, health, environment, youth in development, or community economic development. In each job the same three goals apply: Help the people of interest, promote a better understanding of Americans, and better understand people outside of the Americas. She refers to the program as “soft diplomacy,” which is a topic that I studied in my IA Seminar class. Something that made the Peace Corps unappealing to me is that working in the health sector does not mean that I will be able to practice clinically, which is what I would like to do for a career. Overall, I am not sure if the Peace Corps is the most compatible program in relation to my future goals, but I am glad I attended the Informational Meeting and will keep this opportunity on my radar as I get closer to graduation.