Research Poster-qhtfu9

In April of 2017 I presented a research project that I had been working on all of the 2016-2017 academic year. The purpose of this project was to compare and contrast US and Russian government entities in order to further understand the way that Russia generally functions. This was completed through the form of a paper. I attended weekly meetings of the Security & Intelligence Club here at Ohio State. At these meetings various speakers from different government organizations came to speak. I listened to their talks and then went home and researched the nearest Russian equivalent. This project took me approximately 30 hours to complete. This project helped me understand the ways of Russia extensively. As a Security & Intelligence and Russian Language double major I find this information extremely pertinent to my academic and career success. I learned extensively about the function and makeup of various Russian entities such as how  security, military, transportation, political,  and religious entities play into Russian life. I presented my findings at the IA Symposium that took place on Wednesday, April 5th, 2017.

At the end of 2016 I assumed a position on the Social Committee of Delta Sigma Phi. This is my first position in the Fraternity after I joined in the Autumn of 2016. I hope to hold other positions during my time at Ohio State. Within the social committee I was assigned the position of Serenade Chair. Serenading is something that is typically done by social fraternities within the IFC at Ohio State. I was charged with putting together routines of singing and dancing that we would perform in front of Sororities. This was designed to demonstrate our good will towards those sororities and increase our exposure to them. A primary goal of Serenading was to obtain a block partner for next year’s football season. This semester I put together three different routines that we performed 4 different times to 5 different sororities. These routines involved different songs, different dance moves, and even altered lyrics to make it more applicable to Ohio State Greek life students. At the end of our serenade we were voted by Gamma Phi Beta Sorority to block with for next semester. This was the culmination of hours of hard work that went into planning, rehearsing, and executing these routines. I hope to continue contributing to my Fraternity in the future.

Over this past summer, I had the opportunity to intern at Dawson & Sodd LLP. This is a law firm in Dallas, Texas which specializes in Eminent Domain law. I worked at the office for about 3 months. While I was working I learned about the basics of law, how it’s practiced, and the general in’s and out’s of writing up formal documentation. I had the privilege to observe meetings with associates, depositions, meetings with opposing counsels, meetings with clients, and even court proceedings. This experience was important to me because it assured me of my interest in pursuing law school after my undergraduate career here at Ohio State.

At the beginning of my third semester at Ohio State,  I decided to rush a social fraternity on campus. Joining Delta Sigma Phi has been one of the most positive experiences I have had at University so far. After only being in the organization for a few months, I have already met so many new people and new friends both inside and outside the fraternity. Joining a social fraternity opens up so many opportunities to meet so many new people. I have discovered for myself that when people say Greek life is good for networking; it is honestly true. Additionally, joining Delta Sigma Phi has opened an opportunity to take leadership. During my second semester with the organization, I have taken on the challenge of being a part of the Social Committee. We are in charge of planning and organizing all social events for the fraternity. This is only the first step of many leadership positions I hope to hold in the organization.

In my Intro to Intelligence class this Spring Semester, I had to write a research paper about the struggle to balance privacy and safety when it comes to US Intelligence gathering. I had to analyze several different cases that have sparked debate and legislation in the country. What I learned drastically changed my opinion about the methodology the US government goes about in terms of intelligence gathering. What I learned showed that there is much needed attention from the public about the need for more modern and precise legislation that currently lags behind the drive of new technology. This project not only broadened my knowledge about this subject, but it also  heightened my skills in research which will help me with future projects in my college and professional career.

In my Russian Film class, one of our biggest project was to watch, analyze, and interpret themes of classic soviet films. The film I studied was called the Chekist. It was a film released just after the fall of the Soviet Union, and focused on the crimes against humanity that were committed by the government. The Soviet Union systematically slaughtered those suspected of dissident, their families, and their friends. It was a dramatic piece, created by people who lived the scenario themselves. It was a powerful film that changed my perspective about the importance of global awareness and accountability that we must hold everyone to, and a need to crack down on Government’s that systematically suppress freedom of expression no matter what the political costs might entail. Working on this project really inspired me to pursue a career that has to do with the safeguarding of human rights. The Chekist(1992) <- Link to PowerPoint