IA Service Spotlight: College Mentors for Kids – 2/10/2021

On Saturday, June 12th I watched the recording of the presentation for College Mentors for Kids which took place on February 10th. The presentation was given by Ashley Johoske and more information was given by Zaria Justice. I was looking through the events in February and this one captured my attention because I am always looking for new ways to volunteer and finding new organizations that allow me to create relationships with those that I would not have the opportunity in my daily life.

I have been babysitting kids since early in high school and I always enjoy playing with them and doing things that they enjoy. I think it is cool that they structure their activities around specific topics such as higher education, community service, and culture/diversity. Growing up, I feel that I was not taught enough about culture and diversity since I come from a small rural school. I want to help other kids learn about these topics early on so that it can create a solid base for them moving forward in their education. I looked through their social media accounts and the activities that they do seem so fun for both the mentor and the mentee. I plan on joining this organization in the fall and I hope that I will be able to have a positive experience and connect with a student. This pertains to international affairs because it is teaching young students about culture, education, and service possibilities that will make an impact on their local community and the greater community.

Is This the New Normal? The Global Economy After COVID-19 – 3/5/2021

On Friday, June 11th I watched a recording of the webinar presented by COMPAS called “Is This the New Normal? The Global Economy After COVID-19”. This event took place on March 5th and ideas were presented by Elizabeth Reynolds and Abraham Newman, both professionals in the economic sector of academia. This event caught my eye because I took both microeconomics and macroeconomics during the 20-21 school year and I wanted to see the connection between what I had learned in those classes and the effect of the pandemic. The global economy has been seriously affected by COVID-19 and both of the professors had delineated the negative side effects that many people do not realize when thinking about the pandemic.

Reynolds presented the effect of technology on the economy. The increase in technology has found ways to replace existing jobs by creating new jobs. However, it has brought about a polarization of the availability of certain types of work: there are more higher-paying jobs and fewer middle-class jobs. Throughout the pandemic, companies have figured out how to function with fewer workers and many of them will not be returning to their pre-pandemic procedures, which hurts many American workers. Newman presented how globalization has become limited during the pandemic and revealed conflicts between different countries that are manipulating their trade to benefit some and harm others (for example, China and the US). He expressed the need for a global response toward the pandemic by global leaders because it has caused millions of lives to be lost. This webinar was intellectually stimulating and I enjoyed hearing about the different perspectives of the economic market presented by professionals. This pertains to international affairs because there is serious inequality in the economy that the pandemic has created. Global leaders need to determine solutions that can lower this burden and move the economy in the right direction.

Current Event Night (Academic) – 3/14/21

On the evening of Tuesday, April 27th, I watched the zoom recording of the Current Event Night on March 14th. Samantha Zimmerman headed the event which included a short Kahoot game and then a presentation including more current events in other countries. I like how she incorporated questions into the PowerPoint to engage her audience. I have been to a Current Events Night before and I think that this new aspect made it more interesting and allowed me to think more for myself. I think that this is a great event that needs to continue into next year because it is an easy way to stay connected with the news in the world.

Since it has been over a month since this event, it is strange to see how far the Georgy Floyd case has come since then. Sam mentioned the $27 million settlement given from the city of Minneapolis to the Floyd family. We can now celebrate a huge victory in our criminal justice system for declaring Derek Chauvin guilty on all charges of murder. However, more change needs to occur to permanently fix the inherent racism in this country. I also could not believe the facial covering ban in Switzerland. It shocks me that any vote for this kind of bill would be that close, and it saddens me that people are that insensitive not only towards Muslim people but to COVID-19 as well. This event is pertinent to international affairs because it talked about many issues across the globe and it is important to stay knowledgeable about world news.

IA Alumni Panel (Professional Development) – 11/4/20

I attended the recording of the IA Alumni Panel on November 23rd. The panelists present were Courtney, Alex, Samantha, and Brandon. Arushi asked these panelists questions about their experiences in the International Affairs Scholars group at OSU as well as what they are doing with their careers now. I was able to see how each of these former students have utilized their experiences through IA to pursue careers or other opportunities that have shaped their values and goals.

It was very cool to hear how all of them have been affected by coronavirus in the workplace as well as their personal lives. Brandon was very relatable to me because he seems like he doesn’t know exactly what he wants to do but knows that one of his main career goals is to help people. I also want to work for a non-profit hopefully as an intern soon. I really appreciated the advice that they all gave for us as undergrads, Courtney’s were intriguing (both the serious and funny ones). I am very jealous that they were offered a trip to India through IA (hint hint Steven) because it seemed like a fun trip that I would have been interested in applying for. This relates to international affairs because I got to learn the experiences of alumni from the scholars program that have moved into law school or other careers that involve important policies that affect the whole world.

Current Events Catch-Up (Academic) – 10/26/20

On October 26th, I watched the recording of the Current Events Catch-Up part 2 that was hosted by Sam who is the Academic Chair for IA this year. This event was a Kahoot about some current events that are happening around the world. After the kahoot, Sam took a little bit of time to explain more information about each issue that was brought up in the Kahoot. I liked how she incorporated stories into the presentation that were positive because most of the time, news only has stories on all of the bad things that are happening in the world.

I watched some clips from the news about the beheading in France. It breaks my heart that this happened to Mr. Paty. One thing that was new to me about this story was that before he showed the cartoon, he advised Muslim students to leave the room if they thought they would be offended by his presentation. He took particular precautions but was still killed, which is very saddening. I was also very surprised to hear that the 60% of the population of Nigeria is 24 and under. There can be much cause for change with the young adults that they have to back up certain issues. This event pertains to international affairs because it is important to stay updated on global news and to be aware of things that are happening in other countries. We can learn about and help the causes that are being fought for in other countries if we stay educated about these issues.

Ice Cream Social (Social) – 9/27/20

On Sunday, September 27th I attended the ice cream social ran by Grace. I went with my suitemate and fellow IA member, Malka. We took the bus down High Street and went to CRMD.  I always have seen people taking pictures and posting them on social media of the infamous wall that says, “Lick it real good…” inside the shop. Their flavors are known to have abnormal colors and I got black vanilla which was so weird to eat because I am not used to vanilla-flavored things looking black. The store has great policies in order to keep its employees and customers safe including mandated masks and lower maximum occupancy. A sign written on the door said something about masks being mandatory and “don’t be a Karen”.

I got to meet a few new people from IA which is what I miss most about in-person events. I met four first-years who are currently living in Smith-Steeb and it made me miss the times I had there and how everyone’s time was cut short last year. One of the girls is majoring in the Classics which I did not know was a major that existed. Apparently, it is learning about Ancient Greece and Rome which I think is a very fascinating topic to study. I also got to bond with a few other girls that are majoring in public health (as am I!) and it was cool to talk about classes that I had taken previously and give them a little advice. This event pertained to International Affairs because it was fellow scholars meeting up and having fun to take a little break from the chaos of the world right now. It is very important to meet the people who are involved in similar things, have the same values, and want to share experiences.

Getting Caught Up on the Headlines wit IA TA Sam Stelnicki (Zoom) – 4/9/20

I watched the recording of the event on zoom that took place on Thursday, April 9th at 7:30 PM. I sadly could not participate in the Kahoot at the beginning of the presentation, however, I did choose an answer before the correct one was revealed. I was surprised at the statistic that 74% of the world’s working population has been affected by COVID-19. It blows my mind that this disease has affected so many people, especially when we aren’t seeing everything going on all over the world. The topics that Sam discussed were all effects of coronavirus shutting down most countries all over the world.

The US government is deciding to release the prisoners that are susceptible to coronavirus but this could be an issue because they may have nowhere else to go and may do worse outside of prison. In countries such as Hungary and Russia, the disease is opening doors for government leaders to gain total power of the country through making it seem like it is about health and safety but could lead to total power indefinitely. I thought it was very interesting that Turkmenistan is announcing that they have no cases in their country but have been notorious for censoring their own media. Developing countries in Sub Saharan Africa that have been improving their economy through certain industries could backtrack their progress during the recession that the world is experiencing. This relates to international affairs because it is important to understand the impacts that COVID-19 is having on the entire world because all countries are having similar problems and the differences in how they handle it will affect their progress.

 

International Perspectives on the Coronavirus Pandemic (Zoom) – 4/22/20

On Wednesday, April 22nd at 9:00 AM I attended the event through zoom. There were people from multiple countries such as Germany, France, and China and of all different ages. It was interesting to hear about the perspectives that different countries had on the pandemic and what their countries were doing to prevent the spread. One thing that really surprised me was the QR codes that France is using to make sure no one is going beyond one kilometer from their house without good reasoning. I think that because France has been able to implement the QR code, the country is able to enforce strict stay-at-home orders more successfully. It was also interesting to hear the difference of perspectives between Germany and France, especially since they are neighboring countries. France seemed to be more strict throughout the country while Niklas was explaining that in Berlin, they have not been very strict about staying at home. I also think it was not fair that in China they are still requiring the students to take their college entrance exams, even though they are taking it under nonstandard conditions that could affect their grade and where they attend university.

When Steven asked everyone if they had heard about the protests in the United States, I was just waiting for them to say that we are a dumb country (at least some people). It did not surprise me that no one in their countries was protesting stay at home orders, and they seemed appalled that people were doing it here. I think that people in our country are too capitalistic instead of caring about the well being of others and themselves. This relates to international affairs because it is important to notice how other countries are approaching the same issues. We can use that information to try and change policy in our own country by learning from them.

International News Trivia (Social) – 3/2/20

On Monday, March 2nd, I attended the international news trivia session in the sky lounge of Smith-Steeb. The wonderful second years that led this event bought those who attended insomnia cookies. I, of course, had one chocolate chip and one macadamia nut cookie. I attended with my roommate Lily. The trivia was presented in the form of a Kahoot and I did not do as amazing as I had hoped but Lily landed top five (proud roomie!!!). Even though I did not end up winning, I learned a few important things that were happening around the world at that time.

Some of the questions included politics, while some were about celebrity news, and others about the coronavirus. I remember one question was about Pete Buttigieg dropping from the presidential race which happened the day before (I shed a tear for a fallen soldier). The questions about coronavirus were just stats of the rates of incidence so it was almost a guessing game at that point. There was another question about Prince Harry and Megan moving to Canada. This event relates to international affairs because it is important to be aware of issues happening around the globe to be an active participant in this subject.

Korean Culture Show (2/14/20) – Campus

On February 14th, I attended the Korean Culture Show at the Ohio Union Performance Hall. I attended the event with my roommate and some of my other friends. We had to go about an hour early because we knew that the line would be long since this was a highly attended show. We were able to get in the third row. The show was based on spreading traditional Korean culture as well as modern culture. There were performances from artists, dancers, singers, drummers, and martial arts students. There was also a parody of a Korean drama that played in between acts.

This event made me realize many things from Korean culture that should be respected by others, no matter the race. The traditional drummers showed traditional music that was very different from other cultures as well as the artists. I see why there is such a buzz on Korean culture, it was very inclusive and inviting. Not only did I learn new things about the culture, but it opened my eyes a little to see the importance of the traditions of another culture. This relates to International Affairs because it is important to be aware of other cultures in order to respect different ethnicities around the world.