Spring Break

Community Service: How being a helping hand enriched my Ohio State Newark experience

| Buckeye Voices at Ohio State Newark

Roman Lee, public affairs, 2021

Community service goes a long way and has a positive impact on the issues, people and community being served. I love volunteering because community service is one of my core guiding principles. The Ohio State University at Newark gave me the opportunity to not only learn and set myself up for my future career, but also to continue volunteering in both the campus and Newark community. I was a part of Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge, Journey Campus Ministries, COTC Ambassadors and the Laurel Collegiate Society. I served as the student body president of Ohio State Newark and Central Ohio Technical College. In my opinion, service to others is very crucial today because society faces many social, economic, racial and political obstacles that strike a divide among people. I see taking time out of my busy schedule to give back as a way to not only give back to those in need, but also to establish a connection with someone who comes from a different walk of life.

I first learned the importance of service from my mother who taught me to live a selfless life. I’m also driven to help others due to the experiences I had as a child growing up on the west side of Cincinnati, Ohio, in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood in a single-parent household. Because of the actions of others to help us, my mother always taught us to lend a hand to those in need and to never ignore issues that may occur in our world. One memorable moment of selflessness and generosity was when my mother reached out to a homeless man who didn’t have enough money for a single banana at a grocery store despite our own struggles. My mother took a sandwich, pop and bag of chips from our groceries and gave it to the homeless man sitting outside the store in the cold. My mother later told us, “He needed it more than us. We may be struggling but there are some people out there with absolutely nothing. Never be selfish. If you can give, then you should give.” Her words and that simple act of kindness made an impact on me and how I decided to carry myself from then on. Because of her words, I started to help those in my community with cleanups or by doing lawn work for elderly neighbors who couldn’t. Doing service in the community was reinforced during my years at Elder High School. I’ve discovered that service is an action that can make a big difference in difficult situations. It can bring attention to critical issues that affect our communities.

When I came to Ohio State Newark, my experiences of community service drastically expanded. I joined the Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge enabling me to go on two spring break trips to help build homes for those in need in Fort Smith, Arkansas and Monroe, North Carolina. Both trips taught me the importance of giving time to not only help one person but a whole family. I was able to help put a roof over a family’s head to provide a place for shelter, comfort and growth. I got to meet different people who have been affected by poverty or hard times in more ways than one. I also got the opportunity to build relationships with my peers who participated and those who oversaw the building of the homes. I learned why they do it and why the organization means so much to them. Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge expanded my eagerness to help others in need. It also pushed me to challenge my peers to pay attention to issues that we face and to think of someone else when throwing away food or clothes that could be donated. Participation in community service expanded my knowledge of the world’s growing issues and inspired me to seek out more ways to aid communities. These experiences have helped me to decide what to focus on with my degree and what I can strive to accomplish every day. My college career and values as an individual are not complete without community service. Service to others helps build important characteristics within ourselves and makes a difference. My Ohio State Newark experience wouldn’t have been the same or complete without my involvement in community service.

Service to others will always be something that drives me to seek ways to fix issues that grip our communities. Ask yourself, ‘What am I doing for others? What could I do right now to help?’ There is no greater feeling than lending a hand to those in need and creating a positive connection with those around you.

Spring Break in Berlin

| Buckeye Voices at Ohio State Newark

Emily Hankinson, Senior English Major

Traveling 4,000 miles from home on an education abroad trip is not something I would have considered when I first started my life as a Buckeye at The Ohio State University at Newark. Now it’s at the top of my recommendation list.

I spent spring break walking through history as I toured Berlin, Germany. For the in-class component of this education abroad, I’m working with a partner researching German architecture and how the city and surrounded towns were affected by the World Wars.

Alex Kirarly and I took day trips to Potsdam and Quedlinburg as part of our research. Potsdam Park is home to the Sanssoucci and New Palace (Neues Palais) of Fredrick the Great, King of Prussia from 1740-1786. We toured the inside of both buildings and gaped at the towering ceilings and endless marble halls. Quedlinburg, a town just north of the Harz mountains, is a three-hour train ride from Berlin. We managed to travel to and explore these towns on our own, with no German language other than basic greetings.

As a class, we took a walking tour of Berlin where we saw Hitler’s Bunker, cathedrals, the Brandenburg Gate, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the TV tower, the Konzerthaus Berlin and Bebelplatz, the site of one of the Nazi book burning ceremonies where students from Humboldt University and others gathered to listen to Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels.

We toured the Reichstag, the seat of the German Parliament as well the Stasi Museum and Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial, the Berliner Untervelten (Berlin Underground), and the Berlin Wall. I especially enjoyed the Berlin Underground, Stasi prison, and the Berlin Wall because of our studies before the trip. The underground consisted of air raid bunkers and the conditions people had to survive during bombings. The Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial is a museum that was formerly a prison for the East German Communist Ministry of State Security, or the Stasi. During this tour, we saw firsthand the conditions of prisoners and the excruciating physical and psychological pain they endured during their years in prison.

In our free time, some of us went to a cabaret-like performance, similar to those we’d studied in class and visited the Olmpiastadion where Jesse Owens, track star and student at The Ohio State University, made history in 1936 by winning four gold medals while Adolf Hitler proclaimed the superiority of the Aryan race. We sampled German chocolate from local shops in the city and snacked on döner kebabs while we walked. A group of us hiked up Teufelsberg, a man-made hill with rubble and the incomplete Nazi military-technical college (Wehrtechnishe Fakultät) buried underneath. Today, people gather on the top for picnics and the great view of the city below. Most of us went to Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Oranienburg, an especially powerful site. We walked the same paths of former prisoners and stood where thousands were executed or forced to enter a gas chamber.

There are some notable differences between the United States and Berlin, Germany. Most obviously is the language barrier, but don’t let this keep you from going. I didn’t know a single word of German before the trip and still managed to maneuver my way to and around two cities outside of Berlin. Many people speak enough English to understand simple questions and you will inevitably learn a little bit while abroad.

The transit system is another major difference. You’re used to getting in your car and driving somewhere, but in Berlin people jump on the tram or walk. The city has a series of trams, both under and above ground, and it can be intimidating at first, but you quickly pick up on the major stops and which trams to get on. Don’t worry about not being able to find anything to eat. I found out quickly the Germans love Italian food. Our first group meal was at an Italian restaurant and we went to at least two other Italian restaurants on our own. There is also vegetarian and vegan food, so if you know how to handle your dietary restrictions you won’t have a problem.

The friends I made on this trip are ones I will cherish forever. We conquered a city together. We experienced history, learned about a new culture and had the chance to explore a new place. I am grateful to Stephanie Brown, Ph.D., and Stephen Evans for taking us on this life changing trip.

Check out @OhioStateNewark on Instagram for more photos from Berlin.

Emily Hankinson is a senior at Ohio State Newark majoring in English and minoring in both Spanish and professional writing. She works on campus in the Writer’s Studio and off campus in a local library. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in library and information sciences after graduating in May. In her free time, she likes to read young adult novels; travel; and spend time with her friends, family and two cats: Tigger and Sadie.