“13th” Documentary Showing/ Discussing Racial Inequality in the U.S.

IA Academic Event Reflection

Thursday, October 21st 2019, 7:00pm @ Smith-Steeb Glass Classroom

The documentary “13th” was very powerful and thought-provoking through the stories and old video clips that were shown throughout the film. Racial inequality has always been an ongoing issue but has lost the traction it once had before due to new issues constantly being introduced and the toxic idea that many people have about it “not existing” anymore in the modern era. A prominent aspect of the racial inequality issue lies in our own justice system. There has been a boom in mass incarceration from the early 1900s to the present and race plays a big role in it. In the documentary, they talked about The Crime Bill passed by Bill Clinton in 1994, which forced millions of people into prison who would otherwise not be in prison today and the Stand Your Ground law in Florida in the case between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. The law states that you are legally allowed to kill someone if you feel threatened, and in that specific case, Zimmerman got off by that law. Lisa Graves goes on to say that the jury instructions were changed so that the jury was required to be told that Zimmerman “had the right to stand his ground but not that someone like Trayvon Martin has a right to stand his ground against someone like George Zimmerman with a gun assailing him.” The Trayvon Martin tragedy fueled the racial inequality fire once again as more activists came out to protest and companies started pulling out from funding ALEC, a private club made up of politicians and corporations who write/propose laws together. The system is corrupt and the parties involved are unethical but the prison industrial complex is too powerful to stop right away and it can not be taken down completely or it will collapse. A process is needed to dramatically change the system without destroying it but it will take time and people who truly care about the issues at hand–not the money.

 

 

CRIS Mural Project

IA Service Event Reflection

Sunday, October 27th 2019, 10:00am-12:00pm @ Westerville, OH

This was my first service event with the IA scholars group and it was very fun and rewarding to work with the kids and be a part of something special. When we first arrived, the kids were sitting in a circle, eagerly waiting for us to choose them as a buddy. Then we were split into two groups: the mural painting group and the positive leaf messages group, I was in the latter. We were directed to the art classroom with the teacher but it was the kids who taught us—the college students, how to make the leaves. It had been so long since I had touched art supplies (especially ones so small), I didn’t know if I could do it correctly. Luckily, the kids were little balls of energy and their creativity rubbed off on me as they yelled out ideas. I have to admit, it was a little difficult to bond with younger children at first but after some small talk and playing music we all enjoyed, we got along in no time. After the leaf making, we had a lunch break and the groups switched. In the mural painting group, I met a new group of kids and they were more curious than the first. As we painted, they asked about college life while telling me about their own dreams. It really opened my eyes to hear how the kids saw the world from their perspective. When it was time to leave, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad and it seemed the feelings were mutual because two of the little girls asked me to visit them at their school again in the future. Overall, it was a very rewarding and special experience and I would be happy to do it again.

“American Factory” Documentary Showing

IA Academic Event Reflection

Sunday, October 20th, 2019, 8:00-10:00pm @ Smith-Side Basement

The documentary was interesting to begin with because the setting was in Dayton, Ohio–which is just 2 hours away from Columbus. It started out with the shutdown of a General Motors plant during the 2008 recession, fast forward to a few years later in 2014, a Chinese billionaire buys the GM plant and rebrands it as a glass making company. The revitalization of the plant brought thousands of jobs to the people in the area. Initially, everything seemed to be going well, but soon tensions began to rise due to the clash between the Chinese and American workplace culture. Cao Dewang’s views of the factory did not align with the American workers at all–on top of that, the American workers were not making as much as they did previously and the conditions of the workplace were quite dangerous. Even though the film was intense at times, there were little snippets in the documentary that showcased the personalities of some of the workers and it was fascinating to see everyone’s different point of view. One thing I found amusing was the stereotypes the different groups had towards each other because it was so generalized. The film hit especially close to home for me because I come from a Chinese family myself and the workers in the movie were of the same background as me (Fujianese) and I could actually understand what was being said by everyone in the movie. To hear the story from both sides was really cool for me because it made me realize how much people have to sacrifice just to get a job to support themselves and their family and gave me a deeper appreciation of my own family and what my parents had to do get to where we are today.

Global Engagement Night: Fashion Around the World

IA Campus Event Reflection

Tuesday, October 8th, 2019, 6:00-7:00pm @ Enarson Classroom Building

At the fashion global engagement night I had the opportunity to learn about various diverse styles and types of fashion from countries around the world that I did not know before. I’ve always had an interest in fashion and trends and to see it relate to international affairs and how it defines one’s identity was very fascinating. The event began with the leaders presenting a slideshow of different garments from various countries that were important to their culture. My favorite part of the presentation was seeing how unique each country’s wedding attire was. Each one was special in their own way to show off the culture behind the fashion. After we learned about the different styles, we all played a friendly game of Kahoot. What I enjoyed the most though, was the open discussion we had at the end of the event. We talked in small groups about what fashion meant to us as individuals and as a society. A key point we hit on throughout the night was that fashion could mean a lot of different things for someone, including–but not limited to: their culture, their mood, and their identity. From this event I learned that fashion is much more than just clothing. Fashion is not a concrete thing but an abstract concept that can be used to help define a person, a group, or a society.

 

 

Navigating Job Fairs & Landing an International Internship Panel

IA Professional Development Reflection

Monday, September 9, 2019, 7:00-8:00pm @ Smith-Steeb Glass Classroom

Studying abroad and landing an internship is really important to me in college and both are goals of mine that I want to achieve by graduation. This event was very interesting and different from previous ones because we got to hear from a panel of students rather than just one individual. The panel did a great job of telling us about the different ways we could obtain an internship, whether it’s through programs by majors at the university or from connections we may have with family, friends, or acquaintances. I really liked how we had the opportunity to hear from four different students that are currently studying at OSU because they were relatable and made studying abroad/internships seem more achievable and not as intimidating as I thought it would be. I enjoyed hearing about the different countries the panel traveled to and I liked how they even touched on the fact that you don’t even have to leave the country to gain skills from internships and how studying in a different state will also yield great experiences. I did not know a lot of the information the panel was telling us so it was very worthwhile to listen to them speak. To see an insider’s view on the two things I really want to pursue in in college was super beneficial and I learned a lot from the upperclassmen. I would really love to go to another panel event if IA hosts one in the future because I like being able to listen to different views and opinions on the same subject.

IA/ACES/PSL/HSS Welcome Back Cookout

IA Social Event Reflection

Thursday, August 29, 2019, 6:00-8:00pm @ Park-Stradley Lawn

At this social event, scholars from various groups joined together to enjoy a cookout after classes and established stronger relationships with people from different groups. This event was a great opportunity for me to meet people from other scholars programs on campus and more people from the International Affairs scholars group. It was nice to see my IA group outside of a lecture setting because we are such a large population that I did not have the opportunity to meet everyone at the community seminars. Most of the IA scholars live on the 8th floor of Smith-Steeb but I live on the 9th floor so I felt a little bit excluded the first couple of weeks when everyone else seemed to be doing everything together as a floor. But after a few more social events, such as the welcome back cookout, I became friends with more people on the 8th floor and even got to know more people on the 9th floor. I was a little overwhelmed when I saw how many people were on the lawn but everyone was super welcoming and nice so it was easy to integrate into the group and socialize. After the cookout, I actually went up to the 8th floor with some of my new friends to play games and get to know each other more. This event was beneficial for me because I gained new friendships and felt more connected to my scholars community, making campus feel not as large and more manageable.

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

  • Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc.
  • Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
  • Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
  • Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
  • Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]