FLOW Marketing Campaign

https://u.osu.edu/arega1hseportfolio/files/2017/05/design-project-3-infographic-final-27pzpri.pdf

I was introduced to Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW) in one of my writing courses this semester. FLOW is non profit organization in Columbus that runs tree planting campaigns to help improve the watershed. Although the organization had a great vision, they were having difficulty advertising for the tree campaign as their organization was not known, the social media platforms were not effective and the organization’s website was not visited much. Our class was divided into groups of four to design a distributable, displayable and digital media. My group and I designed an informative brochure about FLOW and the tree campaign, an infographic to be placed on the local city buses and designed the look and schedule of the social media platforms FLOW uses. This project was difficult in the beginning as we did not know much about the organization or how to design effective marketing plans but as we began researching and brainstorming ideas, we were able to create the three marketing tools along with a timeline that FLOW can use to execute a successful campaign.

STEP Project

One of the opportunities provided to second year students at the Ohio State University is the Second-Year Transformational Experience Program (STEP). I was a part of the International Affairs Scholar group STEP cohort. This is a year long commitment which consists of weekly meetings in the first semester with the other cohort members and a STEP faculty mentor and a continuous work on the STEP Signature Project in the second semester. The purpose of the meetings in the first semester is to help STEP students learn about their interest,writing a formal proposal, and developing a signature project. The project awards up to $2000 to help students achieve their projects. The project I developed is a month long internship with Global One Health Initiative’s Mass Rabies Campaign in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I will be travelling in May to work on this internship where I will be helping with translating multiple materials to be distributed, asking survey questions to vaccination recipients and also visiting local schools to teach kids about rabies, how to prevent it, and what to do if bitten by a dog. I am looking forward to this trip because I will be using my communications minor to develop skills in a field different than my Political Science major and will also be able to visit my country of birth after many years. The process of securing this position was not easy but I was able to get the position and will now be travelling to Ethiopia to be a part of this great initiative.

Global Drive for Refugees

This year, I was involved in a program called Global Leadership Initiative. This was a year long program consisting of 12 domestic and 12 international cohort members. Throughout the year, we met weekly to discuss various international related topics, networking and professional opportunities on campus and in the Columbus community and had monthly dinners where we networked with prominent figures from The Ohio State University and professionals in the Columbus community. Another part of the program was also to do a year long project with a group of four students on a social topic. My group and I were in the Refugees and Immigration group with the goal to do a project that involves both OSU and Columbus. My group decided to collaborate with Community Refugee & Immigration Services (CRIS) to hold a fundraiser for incoming immigrants. We planned out all the details, contacted CRIS, and executed a successful drive. After many meetings, marketing initiatives and diligence, we focused on collecting hygienic household items such as shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, tooth brush, and deodorant. We were stationed in the Ohio Union and the Office of International Affairs for a full day and were able to collect a car load of items to donate to CRIS. This project taught me the importance of diligence and how much impact can be made with just four people. The project was very successful and we were able to ease the lives of many people by providing them with simple everyday items they will need upon arrival to the U.S.

Trip to New York City

 

During fall break, I was able to go to New York City for the first time. The trip was organized by the Stadium Scholarship Program and was only open to students living in those resident halls. We left early in the morning on October 15th to spend the weekend there. The trip was a lot of fun filled with tours of famous sites like the 9/11 Memorial, an art museum and Times Square, Broadway shows and late night subway rides. It helped students living in the resident halls bond and get to know each other on a more personal level.  We spent two full days there sometimes visits places as a group and other times splitting up to engage in more individualized activities. This trip was one of the highlights of my first year in college. It was both educational and entertaining.

Educating the Horn

Educating the Horn was an event I attended this semester. It was a collaborate event organized by the Ethiopian and Eritrean Student Organization (EESO) and the Somali Student Association (SSA) on campus. It is an event done once a year on different themes and this year’s theme was on “Breaking the Misconceptions of Mental Illness” in the horn of Africa. Mental illness is a prevalent yet ignored issue in Africa. People who have mental illness are viewed as being cursed or possessed and do not get the proper treatment they need. Because of the cultural beliefs that exist, these people are tied, and hidden from society; they almost never get treated as a normal person. Even the government does not devote any attention to the issue. We believe it is time we break the misconceptions and raise the needed awareness about the issue.

Our goal was to hold this fundraiser even to raise money to send back to Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia for institutions helping to fight this misconception. In Somalia, for example, there is one doctor with a private institution who has devoted his life to helping people with mental illness. He relies on outside funding because the government will not help him. The event was a success with a big turnout from students and insightful words from keynote speakers, one of whom was a Somali woman diagnosed with a mental illness and working hard to help others who are suffering. This event helped me understand the wide prevalence of this issue in the horn of Africa and how the denial of the issue is leaving hundreds of people without treatment who would otherwise have been healed.

4305: International Theory

Image for International Theory courseSemester | 3 credit units

 

International Theory is a course offered in the Political Science Department that I was enrolled in this semester. It was one of my favorite classes and one that made me commit to my major. In the beginning of my college career, I was not sure if Political Science should be my major or how much I would enjoy it. Through this class, however, I was able to discover how fascinating politics can be and its presence in every aspect of life. The lectures and essay questions on the exam were intriguing. The class is concerned with the various international theories that drive the international system, the driver of the international relations in the absence of a “world government” and about anarchy, hierarchy and justice . Some of the questions it asks include why there is so much order in the world today considering that it is an anarchy, why the third world does not  revolt and resist the inequalities they face compared to the first world, and the structure the international system is heading towards.

This class was enjoyable, insightful and eye-opening. I would recommend anyone interested in international politics to take this course because it helps one understand how the world is operating today by showing the theories, policies and though-process that is leading the operation. I have certainly enjoyed this class.

Year in Review

The 2015-16 school year was my first year of college and it has been a roller coaster ride. Coming in right after high school where I was so busy balancing school work and extra-curricular activities with applying to colleges and scholarship, I felt like I was not doing anything my first semester in college. I only had a couple of classes each day and it seemed like I had a lot of free time that I was not used to. However, I began to realize that the free times I had were not really free times. I began to realize how much more time consuming college can be. There is so many things to do that sometimes it can get overwhelming. I slowly began to get the hang of it all from navigating my way around campus, getting involved in student organizations, finding jobs, and still working hard in my classes. I did not perceive how fast the time was going in the beginning but once I began my second semester of college, time seemed to fly. This made me realize how much more careful I need to be with my time in the coming semesters and years here at OSU. It is still amusing to me to think that I have finished a whole year at OSU. I have gained a greater understanding of the value of time during my first year at OSU.

My second year of college was fast but productive. Now that I am familiar with the university and the different resources it offers, I was determined to get involved and do as much as possible in the time that I have. I was involved in the Global Leadership Initiative, International Affairs Scholars, Second-year Transformational Experience Program (STEP) and the Ethiopian Eritrean Student Organization while also working as an Office Assistant and taking 18 hours of course credits. I learned to manage my time more effectively, to prioritize what I am involved in and to develop a routine that I could stick with. I also went on trips to Toronto, Canada for Autumn Break,  Buck-i-Serv trip to Atlanta, Georgia and am now going to Ethiopia for an internship program. My second year of college was very meaningful as I have seen growth in my personal, academic and social life. I am now looking forward to my third and final year as an undergraduate student, and the experiences I will encounter as I graduate a year early.

G.O.A.L.S.

My career goal is to become an Immigration Attorney. I am very passionate about diversity and equal opportunity for different groups. In addition to being involved in the Global Leadership Initiative and the International Affairs Scholars program I have interned with Immigration Law firm and participated in a community service program in a different demographic of the country. I will also be travelling to Ethiopia this summer to do an internship with the Global One Health Initiative’s Rabies Campaign. I am a firm believer in doing things outside of my course of study and being active in environments different than my own. I believe a strong leader needs to widen his/her horizon and be exposed to as many different experiences as possible. This is exactly what I try to do in my academics and extra-curricular involvements. I do not want to limit myself to just one thing but instead prefer to be exposed to different things and gain knowledge.