Final Current Event Catch Up

IA Academic Zoom Event

4/5/21

I thought the perfect way to wrap up the semester was to attend the final current event catch up and I’m so glad I got to hear what was going on around the world and become more informed on certain issues. There were so many big topics I had no idea were trending, with the first being the Miss Grand Myanmar beauty queen standing up to the military. She spoke out against alleged atrocities committed by Myanmar’s military to inform people about what was going on. The second thing I learned was that there was a lawsuit against Google by the company Oracle because they claim that Google stole their code in their operating system. One good event that happened in the world was The Weeknd’s generous $1M donation to Ethiopians who are caught up in the conflict in Tigray. It was really nice to see a celebrity using their platform and resources for good and the money going towards a good cause. Next, a really interesting question that was brought up in the zoom that i thought was super relevant was: “Does anyone think that the COVID-19 pandemic could have been prevented? If so, what should have been the plan of action?” Although I don’t think COVID could have been completely prevented, I personally think that the COVID-19 pandemic could have been dramatically lessened if matters were taken seriously as soon as word of the virus was spreading. I vividly remember the first few months of the pandemic when many people thought it was a hoax and that wearing a mask was “weird”. It definitely did not help that the president at the time denied claims that COVID was serious because it affected the beginning of the pandemic greatly by not taking action. If the virus was dealt with in the beginning with mask mandates and travel restrictions, I think the spread would not have happened as quickly and dangerously.

Adopt-A-School Service Spotlight

IA Zoom Service Event

3/30/21

I was not aware that IA was so involved with the children in the Columbus community so it was really nice to see another opportunity to work with the youth. This program is similar to CMFK but takes place inside the classroom rather than outside and focuses on tutoring kids and assisting the teacher in the classroom. There’s opportunities to work with kids in elementary school or middle school and the time slots both range from 9:00am to around 3:30pm. It’s not that far from campus, around 10 minutes away depending on the mode of transportation. The club has socials, fundraisers, and more. Although I would love to take on this service, this program requires more time and involvement during the school year than the CMFK program and I don’t want to spread myself too thin juggling academics, socials, and extracurriculars. Since I cannot do both clubs at the same time, I don’t think I would be able to commit to this service activity. If I have time another semester, I would definitely consider doing this but for now I will spread the word to peers that I know would be interested in Adopt-A-School and gain them more support and participation!

IA LinkedIn Workshop ft. Jillian Kemper (Business Scholars)

IA Zoom Professional Workshop

3/23/21

This workshop was very helpful, informational, and was much needed since I am going into my Junior year of college. I am familiar with LinkedIn but have not created a profile because I had no idea how to get started and needed some guidance. I learned a lot from this presentation, with the first step of building my brand. This step is similar to an elevator pitch because this is what makes you stand out to a potential job recruiter. LinkedIn is similar to a social media account but instead of posting about your personal life, it’s focused on your professional life. Having a profile picture is a huge thing because it makes your profile more likely to be viewed. It would be best to take a professional picture with business attire but it can be easily taken with your phone as well. Profile building is essential to showcasing your skills, experience, education and awards but only list things that are relevant and highlight your strengths. LinkedIn is a great way to network and connect with other people and you can also be endorsed or recommended by others. Building connections take time, start connecting with your family, peers, coworkers, etc. first and move on from there. I learned messaging/job etiquette for LinkedIn, groups to join or add, and following companies you’re interested in. I was overwhelmed with the idea of starting a LinkedIn account because it seems like everyone I know already has one and I felt like I was too late. I had no idea where to begin and was scared that I wouldn’t know how to use it properly but I feel a lot better about it now. This workshop really broke it down into easy steps that I’m going to follow when I create my LinkedIn this summer.

Virtual International Film Series: Burning

IA Global Engagement Event

3/18/21

I was unable to make it to the discord meeting to watch the movie simultaneously but I had the opportunity to watch this movie on my own time with a couple friends and my sister and we had a lot to talk about afterwards. Burning was a thought-provoking film that was a bit confusing to follow at first but the audience can piece together what happens at the end. First off, this movie was very ambiguous and made me feel very uneasy, from the background music to the personalities of the characters, it created a thrilling mood where things always seemed somewhat off. The character Hae-mi was somewhat of a mystery because she was spontaneous and often disappeared without explanation. Things she would say or claim never matched what other people said about her. What began to really throw me off in the movie was the cat “Boil”. It was so strange that the main character Jong-su never saw the cat that he was tasked to feed, yet he would see the litter box being used. The second thing that was odd to me was her relationship with Ben. It seemed that she liked Jong-su in the beginning of the film so it was weird that she fell in love with Ben so quickly. Ben did not seem like a good fit for Hae-mi, it always seemed like he was using her for another purpose. When he took her to meet his friends, it was almost as if he wanted her to embarrass herself on purpose so that they would have entertainment. Ben had a dark demeanor and it really contrasted with Jong-su’s personality, especially with his odd hobby of burning greenhouses. Although nothing seemed to make sense in the movie at first, the last 20 minutes of the film really pieced everything together, if I interpreted it correctly. Ben’s hobby is actually a code word for murdering women. The “greenhouses” he is referring to are women that he grooms as his girlfriend to kill later. It can be interpreted that way with his going after women with little to no connection with their family, low self-esteem, and ambiguous background. If they have no connections with anyone other than Ben, it would be easy to dispose of them because no one would miss them. However, in Hae-mi’s situation, Jong-su was someone that got in his way. When he went to Ben’s house, he discovered lots of jewelry from other women and the watch he gave to Hae-mi. Ben probably kept them as prizes from the “greenhouses” he burned. Once Jong-su figured out what was going on, along with the discovery of the cat, “Boil”, he knew he had to do something. I think the way Ben died was a metaphor for what goes around, comes around because he got a taste of his own medicine by being burned in the greenhouse. All in all it was an interesting movie and gave me a lot to think about. I’m a big fan of Korean thriller movies because they have similar styles. I loved the way they’re filmed and how they develop the personalities of the characters, like the movie “Parasite”.

IA Service Spotlight: College Mentors for Kids (CMFK)

IA Zoom Event

2/10/21

I had been looking for a service opportunity that would be flexible enough for my busy schedule but also had the component of helping others, especially young kids so this zoom event was perfect for me. I think I first heard about this program my freshman year but I did not have time to commit last year because I was still figuring college out for myself. I love that it’s a national non-profit organization dedicated to helping 1st-5th graders because those are prime ages for when kids need mentors, guidance, and just someone to spend time with who care about them. I was a peer mentor in the fall for incoming college freshmen and it was one of the most rewarding experiences being able to help them and answer questions that they were too afraid to reach out to others to ask. I really enjoy working with younger people because I have a “big sister” personality and am very open and passionate about guiding kids to where they want to be. I like that the CMFK program has so many different days and times available and that the time commitment is only 2 hours a week because it is flexible enough to fit into my schedule. It’s exciting that they have staff opportunities as well because if I really want to be more engaged with the program, I could apply to be a VP for a certain department. The application process goes by semester so I think I’ll apply for the next upcoming round but I can’t wait to get involved and look forward to getting paired up with a little buddy next year!

Current Event Night

IA Zoom Event

2/8/21

With everything going on in 2021, it’s hard to keep up with the news and read what’s going on, but this zoom event was a nice way to catch up and get informed about what has been happening in the world. I learned about the Myanmar Coup and Internet Shutdown, Russia expelling European diplomats, the Brazil Vale Dam Compensation, the Perth Bushfire in Australia, and the France Bomb Plot by Iranians. Learning about these events really made me think because if it had been the U.S. with an internet shutdown, it would be crazy and unimaginable. I agree with the zoom speaker, it would be very had to go about our days without social media and the internet, especially as college students, we need it for school purposes as well. I thought the Vale Dam Compensation was really cool because I feel like we rarely hear stories about people being properly compensated after a disaster, it was nice to hear that the company took full responsibility and the people affected are getting relief in some way. Being informed on current events around the world is valuable, educational, and really opens your eyes. A lot of times, people don’t know what’s going on around the world because they are too focused on their own life and things happening in their own country. If it’s not happening to you, or if it’s far away, you feel like it’s irrelevant. However, everything is relevant because every country has ties with each other and what happens to one country can impact another.