IA Reflection #4 – MLK Day of Service

Lily Conway

Steven Blalock

IA Scholars

January 21, 2019

MLK Day of Service

     On January 21st, 2019 I woke up at 7:00 AM so that I could be at the Union in time to be registered as a volunteer. I wasn’t sure what the organizers were going to ask our small IA ensemble to do, but I knew that it would be beneficial to the community. The day of service was planned to be centered around the celebration of  Doctor Martin Luther King Jr, so that students could continue his legacy through means of community service. The point is that your small impact on your community should parallel the giant effect that MLK left on the world. A student may not have the same amount of influence that the famed civil rights leader had, but doing something is better than doing nothing. The opening ceremony included multiple preformances imcluding a rapper, two dancers paying tribute to Aretha Franklin, and a chorus singing church hymns. This seemed appropriate due to the nature of the holiday and was a nice way to start off the day. Our group was assigned to COSI, which was a relief to hear. It was incredinly cold outside and I really wasn’t looking forward to standing out in the wind all morning. Once we got. to COSI, some workers explained to us that we would be compiling materials that would be used in kits that would be sent to children for interactive science presentations. Personally, I was assigned the role of cutting a large tube into 4 inch pieces while another person organized the pieces into groups of eight, and then bagged them. The work of two hours was tedious, but simple.

While this event seemed small to me, I knew that the work that all the volunteers put in saved the workers hours of their time and would eventually help children around the world have a better learning experience. I personally always enjoy volunteering. Not because I neccessarily enjoy the activity or feel better after I’m done- it’s just that I enjoy putting in work that assists someone in doing less work. Does that make sense? If putting in my effort lessens the work that a normal worker would have to put in, then I’m willing and happy to do so. This event was important for me to take part in because I feel as though the messages that MLK brought into the world have been forgotten recently. His whole philosophy was centered around peace, equality, and love. Quite frankly, the world today has been lacking in those departments and sometimes all you can do is spend a morning helping out your community. It may not be much but it’s enough for one person.

 

IA Reflection #3

Lily Conway

Steven Blalock

IA Scholars

November 27, 2018

IA Reflection #3

     For my third event, I chose to attend the TedX titled Breaking the Cycle of Human Trafficking on November 27th. This event qualified for a Non-IA requirement and it took place in McPherson. The room where the speaches were being held was packed full of people. Because of limited seating, those who arrived late were forced to stand in the back of the room. Structured exactly like a regular TedTalk, the presenters gave their speaches accompanied by a personal slideshow of pictures relating to their topic. The first speaker was Paul M. Herbert, the judge of Franklin County who created ‘Catch Court’. This is a wonderful program that helps victims of human traficking create a new life for themselves. Instead of viewing the women as criminals, Herbert decided that the narrative needed to change into seeing these people as victims of crime. He started this program because he was horrified by the amount of times he would see the same women coming through the system over and over again. He decided to break the cycle through forgiveness rather than punishment. Proof of his program working is obvious as the next speaker was a survivor of human trafficking and a graduate of Catch Court. Vanessa Perkins gave a brutal recount of her story and how she was manipulated into the life of a prostitute. She warned the audience of how these men will prey on weak and vulnerable girls who are alone and desperate for anyone to show them love. Perkins truley believed that this man loved her, but after a few months of a relationship where he gave her everything, he suddenly told Perkins that she owed him now.  That’s how girls get roped into these lives – they never choose to do it. After many years, Perkins was inniated into Catch Court and is now working as Judge Herbert’s baliff. The final speakers were a mother and son duo. To be honest, their story was really confusing but I understood that she was another survivor and her son grew up in a toxic home. Their story was much less impactful than the two previous presenters.

I really enjoyed this event. I love hearing personal narratives with purposeful messagses. I feel lucky to have gone to this event just for the knowledge that I gained. I was previously unaware that the human trafficking industry is estimated to make $150 billion each year or that most victims are under the age of 18. Cities are big hotspots for kidnappings to take place, one of them being Toledo. Toledo is rated the fourth worst city for youth human trafficking crimes. I live in Toledo (close by) and I already knew this, but after hearing this lecture I became even more concerned about the issue. This topic relates to International Affairs because it’s a global issue. To make their crime more difficult to track, kidnappers will often take their victims overseas by plane. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes created The United Nations Protocol against Trafficking in Persons in 2003 which was made to control the issue. 154 countries are following the protocol but some others lack the power to truley govern the problem properly. Overall, this even was incredibly informative and heart touching.

 

IA Reflection #2

Lily Conway

Steven Blalock

IA Scholars

Novemeber 1, 2018

IA Reflection #2

     For my second activity, I went to the Undergraduate Reasearch Festival at the Ohio Union on November 1, 2018. This event was considered credit for the Academic requirement. At first, I went to the Great Hall to observe the poster presentations of the student’s resaerch. The very first person I walked up to was a girl who speant five weeks in Poland gathering data on young, civilian opinions of communiusm. It was found that of those who were less than 25 years of age who had experienced communism in their lifetime, had a more positive view on the political system than those who had never lived under a communistic ruling. I was slightly confused about her project because she introduced the subject by speaking about American opinions so I was thinking that she was referring to our opinions when talking about civilians who have never expereinced communism. The next presenter I walked up to was a girl from the Department of Psychology who discussed monetary vs. non-monetary incentives in the workplace. I found this presentation especially interesting because of the found data that suggested that those who scored lower on a ‘objective numeracy test’ favored recieving non-monetary gifts compared to others who scored higher who would rather have the money. Immediately after thanking her, a male student pulled me into his presenation about a very complex piece of machinery that is able to focus on one frequency level while ignoring all others sent through it. By doing this, scientists are able to measure the temperature at which nuclear reactors opperate. By regulating the temperature, the workers can be kept safe through prevention. It was very complicated and I didn’t understand every aspect of the presentation due to my lack of experience with engineering jargon. But it was very impressive and the studet seemed very proud. As I was exiting I saw a glimpse of a final presentation with the title being something along the lines of, “Giving mice mild head injuries will increase their likelihood of getting a stroke later in life,”. I feel like I could have guessed that without running an experiment. By far my favorite part of the festival was the oral presentation I sat in on given by Corey Keyser – “Impact of Philosophy Education on Critical Thinking and Motivated Reasoning”. Basically the Department of Philosophy ran a summer camp for high school students who were interested in philosophy. Their goal was to teach these kids how to analyze arguments using only logical reasoning without imposing their personal, moral beliefs. They discussed many polorazing issues such as gun rights, abortion, and affirmative action. The students were given surveys to take at the beginning of the session and at the end, but even after all the lessons, their opinions did not significantly change on any subject except for the issue of obligatory donations.

This festival reaffirmed my beliefs that no matter what major I end up choosing, I definitely want to participate in some form of research. Also, it made me realize that I find social sciences a bit more interesting that physical or natural science. I really enjoy those subjects but analyzing how people think and act are so fascinating to me. A philosophy minor may be on the table but I’m not confident enough to make it my major mainly because I don’t want to be a teacher or a lawyer. The only thing I noticed from the event that could be related to International Affairs is the Poland presentation. If people in Poland (who have been controlled under a communistic government previously) don’t view communism as a negative feature, why do some unexperienced Americans view it so negatively? Is it from preconcieved notions or a valid opinion with logical facts backing up their argument? Perhaps if our country can’t agree on the correct way to govern our economy (whether that be through communism or socialism) we just haven’t found the right balance. Who’s to say that communism and socialism are our only options? Overall, I enjoyed this event much more than I expected. It’s exciting to see students who are only a few years older than you proudly present a topic they are passionate about. They seem so well spoken; it reminds me that I still have lots of growing to do. It makes me feel optimistic about the future.

 

IA Reflection #1

Lily Conway

Steven Blalock

IA Scholars

September 30, 2018

IA Reflection #1

     On August 25th, I had the opportunity to fulfill my service requirement. I volunteered with Buck-I-Serve and went with a small group made out of International Affair students to help out the Cat Welfare Association of Columbus. They are a non-profit organization with a focus on rehabilitating stray cats so that they have a chance to be adopted into a loving home. The Cat Welfare Association also spays and neuters all of their cats because of the overpopulation of domestic pets in America. Not only do they provide a welcoming, safe environment for the cats, they also offer enrichment for the cats so they are kept stimulated. My favorite aspect of the non-profit is a section of the building sectioned off specifically for shy cats. To get the timid cats used to people, children (or anyone) are encouraged to read books out loud to the cats so they can become accustomed to the sound of human voices.

When our volunteer group arrived at the shelter, we were split into groups that were assigned different activities. The group I was assigned to was given the task of folding washed beds and blankets into organized tubs so that the clean items wouldn’t get mixed with the dirty ones. Cleanliness was of utmost importance in the shelter and I could see why. Having literally thousands of cats in one building made it tricky to keep things sanitary, but the shelter was doing a stellar job of it by being organized and having strict rules. The food dishes and the litter boxes were tucked away separately in different corners of every room and not once did I spot any sign of cat waste. I didn’t even see a hairball! You were encouraged to pet the cats, but once you did you were required to use hand sanitizer after each cat. The sick cats were kept together in one room as not to infect the others and the kittens were kept together as well. After we had finished folding the towels and beds, we decided to read to the shy cats. At first, we felt foolish but once we continued for a bit it seemed as though we were actually making a difference! After a few minutes, some cats who refused to even peak their heads out of their hideaways were coming out to investigate us. I had no idea that something so trivial could have such an impact. It felt good knowing that our actions could potentially help these cats find a new home.

Personally, I have a huge soft spot for animals so seeing all those cats without homes saddened me. At the same time, seeing the devoted workers at the shelter gave me hope. Knowing that there were people in the world who were kind and selfless enough to put other creatures before themselves inspired me to do the same. It takes small actions to make big changes. Changing the world doesn’t start at the global level, it starts in your local communities. It starts with you.

 

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.]

Artifacts

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation includes both a description of the artifact and a reflection on why it is important to you, what you learned, and what it means for your next steps.  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.]

About Me

[Your “About Me” is a brief biographical statement that might include your intended major, your academic interests, your goals, as well as the things that make you unique.  Definitely include a picture! Also, remember that you can always update this post at any point. 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.]