Psychology and Culture in Europe

This summer, I had the chance to participate in a study abroad program hosted by the Psychology Department here at OSU. This trip, called “Psychology and Culture in Europe,” takes a group of approximately 20 students on a tour through Europe to explore how psychology – which truly is everywhere – both influenced and is influenced by society at large.

This trip started in Cologne, Germany, a city that was ravaged by World War II. Naturally, many of the areas we explored in Cologne were opportunities to learn about and reflect on the rise of National Socialism (a.k.a. Nazism) in Germany. Hitler’s rise to power and the ensuing genocide were truly the catalysts behind the study of psychology, as the sheer atrocity of the Nazis’ actions left the international community asking “how did this happen?” and “how can we stop this from happening again?” While it was definitely a heart-breaking experience, seeing the Holocaust through the lens of Nazi Prisons and literal writings on the walls of victims was a reminder of the infinite power of the human mind – a power that can be used for good and evil.

This photo, which shows a wall etching in the former Nazi prison beneath the National Socialism Documentation Center, stood out to me, as it tells the story of a 16 year-old German boy who, while captured, was visited and brought food by his mother every single day. To me, this was a needed reminder of the goodness that exists in all of us.

After Cologne, we moved on to Gent, Belgium where we stopped specifically to visit the “Museum Dr. Guislain,” which is both a memorial to Dr. Guislain, a pioneer in “ethical psychiatry,” and a still-functioning asylum for the mentally ill. We visited the museum portion of the complex, where we were treated to a series of exhibits that told the history of psychiatry.

One portion of the museum that particularly stood out to me was the exhibit on old-fashion medicines, which can be seen in the photo below.

After Belgium, we headed off to London where our trip became a perfect blend of psychology and European culture. While much of our time in London was spent on “touristy” activities like visiting the Cutty Sark and Buckingham Palace, we still managed to build a variety of academically-engaging sites, such as The British Library (the British equivalent of the Library of Congress), The British Museum, and, my personal favorite, The Bethlem Museum of the Mind, into our agenda

The Bethlem Museum of the Mind, according to our tour guide, is the longest-standing mental hospital in the world, as it has been treating patients since 1337. Admittedly, the idea of what constitutes “treatment” has changed a lot since then, and the focus on ethics is a rather recent phenomenon, but the place is absolutely dripping with history nonetheless.

One portion of The Bethlem Museum of the Mind that truly caught my attention was a series of paintings on the wall that was crafted by one of the mental patients in the mid-20th century. These paintings all depicted cats, but as the patient’s state of mind deteriorated, the paintings became more abstract. These paintings show an easily-understood visualization of mental illness, as the first painting looked photo-realistic, but the later ones looked like this:

While London was the official end of the study abroad, one of my study-mates and I continued on to Madrid, Spain where we most definitely focused on the tourist aspect on the city. While I can’t say this was the most “academic” couple of days, it was still astounding to see how different Spanish culture was from anywhere we had been before. For example, most Spaniards don’t wake up until 9-10 a.m., and they don’t eat dinner until 8-10 p.m. – a huge change from London!

Aside from the culture shock, I think Madrid was the most beautiful portion of the trip. In particular, I was absolutely in love with the Palacio Real de Madrid which, fun fact, is actually the largest palace in Europe, standing at 1,450,000 square feet spanning over 3,418 rooms. I only got to see a few hundred of the rooms, and I was already over-whelmed; I can’t imagine living there! Unfortunately, they only allowed pictures in some of the rooms, but my favorite picture I took of the palace was actually the one above, which was taken from the gardens on the south side of the palace.

All around, this trip was an absolutely wonderful experience, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the financial generosity of Honors & Scholars in the form of the Eminence Enrichment Grant. This trip has not only served as an incredible opportunity to engage with the international community, but it single-handedly managed to instill me with an endless sense of wanderlust.

If you ever get a chance to take this trip, I couldn’t possibly recommend it any more highly! Additionally, if you’d like to learn more about all of the things I did during this trip, you can check out my blog here!

Finally, I’d like to give a huge thank you to my travel-mates, including our wonderful advisers, Ilana Seager Van Dyk and Dr. Mark Polifroni. This picture can only begin to describe what an amazing experience we all had!

Sophomore Year In Review

I came into sophomore year thinking that it was going to be a whole lot like freshmen year. Matter of fact, I thought it was going to be just about an exact replica. Boy was I wrong! What I learned throughout the year is that sophomore year is when things really start to ramp up. While some of this ramping up is exciting (like finally getting into fun courses), most of it is kind of scary and a whole lot of work! In this sense, I think sophomore year is really about change; it’s the semester where you take everything you did freshman year – and trust me, everyone does too much freshman year – and you start to parse it down into the things you care most about. Now, this might seem like a counterintuitive process, but it’s totally natural. Heck, even our brains do it (it’s called pruning).

For me, most of this parsing out occurred in the academic sphere. Coming into the semester, I was a triple major, and I was planning on picking up a couple of minors as well. Now, after spending some time really thinking about what actually makes me happy, I plan to graduate with a double major in Public Affairs and Psychology with a minor in Economics. How did I come to this conclusion, you ask? Well, to be completely honest, it was entirely through trial and error. The deciding factor, however, was when I realized that my new research position in Dr. Ian Krajbich’s Neuro-Decision making lab was an absolutely perfect fit, and that it was what I wanted to pursue in the future. With that knowledge I was able to ask myself: what academic path will best fit my future goals?

Alas, the whole pruning process was not only about academics; it was about extracurriculars as well. Like all freshmen, I joined WAY more clubs than I could handle, and my over-achieving self felt it necessary to get a leadership position in every one. Plot twist: this is a terrible strategy. So, this year I focused on taking on more responsibilities in the clubs I care the most about, and stepping away from responsibilities in the ones I’m not as passionate about. Ultimately, this led to me accepting a position as president of Theatre Arts Group (TAG), something that I’m both proud of and passionate about. Looking back, I couldn’t be happier with my decision; when I work with TAG, I know that I’m making a difference in the lives of my students, and that’s a feeling that keeps me going.

The last sphere that I had to look at was the professional sphere. At the beginning of the year, I was worried that I was getting into a rut because I’d been working at the same internship with SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted) since January of 2017, but I really didn’t want to leave because I believed in the organization’s mission. Ultimately, I decided to stay with SENG, and it paid off because I was promoted to SENG Connect Project Manager (which means I run a small division) and love my job more than ever before. So, if anything, I think this is a reminder that not everything needs to change; once you find something you love, you should hold on tight.

After I really felt that I had gotten my responsibilities and life course under control (which was like 2 weeks ago if I’m being honest), I turned my focus to the future and spent some time thinking about what it is I really want out of life. From this thinking I truly solidified my notion that I want to end up with a career in academia; I honestly can’t see myself as anything else, and I think it’s a way to impact lives in a way I had never before considered. In line with this goal, I realized that I need to spend the next two years really emphasizing my research experience – and that’s exactly what I plan to do. If all goes well, my goal is to publish a scholarly article next year and present at both the Fall Undergraduate Research Forum and the Denman. Are my goals lofty? Yes. Do I believe I can achieve them? Yes.

With all of that said, I want to leave you all with quotes from two of my favorite books, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Catcher in the Rye because, although they are inherently contradictory, I believe there’s value in seeing both, as change is necessary, but we must never forget to hold on to the things we love:

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing.” –Benjamin Button

“Certain things, they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone.” – Holden Caulfield

Things Fall (Meanwhile)

On Wednesday, March 28th, TAG students at Columbus North International School put on a production of the comedy play “Things Fall (Meanwhile).”

Although I’m not directly involved with the CNIS program because I work mostly with the elementary-aged students, I’m proud to have been a part of the team that made this show happen!

This picture shows the CNIS students with the OSU TAG High School team after the performance:

SFER

Another student organization that I am involved with is Students for Education Reform, a club that seeks to ensure that all students receive an excellent education. Within SFER, I serve as the Community Outreach Chair, which means that the core of my job is organizing opportunities for our members to volunteer with students.

Much of the volunteering that we do takes place at KIPP Columbus, a local charter school. As part of our partnership with KIPP, some SFER members attended a teacher-recruiting event at the school that culminated in a tour of the campus.

SENG Facilitator Training

As a part of my SENG internship, I underwent training to become a SENG Model Parent Group Facilitator, which means that I am officially certified to run support groups for parents of gifted students. Since then, I’ve run one group that was specially designed for Gifted Young Adults.

Here’s a picture with my facilitator training group:

A Journey to The Past

I’m a firm believer that art is an essential part of life – and the form of art that I love is theatre.

This past summer, my family and I went to NYC and saw the Broadway performance of Anastasia, a musical based on the 1997 animated film. Here are some pictures!

Here’s a picture of the cast during bows:

Here’s a picture of me with the photo-op scene outside the theater:

America’s Pasttime

What do I love to do outside of school? One thing I absolutely cannot live without is baseball – and I’m a Tribe Fan for life! The only person I know who loves baseball as much as I do is my mom (who, of course, is in the picture with me).

In particular, I have a life goal of watching the Indians play in all 30 MLB stadiums, and here’s #4: Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan – Home of the Detroit Tigers. Personally, I love finding baseball Mickeys.

An American In Paris

In February, Theatre Arts Group (TAG) OSU took 9 high school students to see “An American In Paris” at the Ohio Theatre. For many of our students, this was their first ever professional show!

P.s. For those of you who don’t know, TAG was actually the first-ever Eminence service project. The organization’s mission is bring theatre to underserved students in the Columbus community – let me know if you’re interested in joining!

SOAP

In February, a few members of Enlighten volunteered to participate in the annual “S.O.A.P Up the Arnold,” an event aimed at countering the spike of human trafficking that occurs with big events, like the Arnold Classic in our own back yard!

From left to right: Claire Juracka (Eminence Class of 2020), Maddy Fixler (Eminence class of 2020), Me, Theresa Flores (Founder of S.O.A.P. and world-renowned anti-human trafficking advocate)