Cleaning the Globe

I participated in a Columbus Clean up event. This event was dedicated to cleaning up the sidewalks around campus. This was a service event that took place on October 20th. Our job was to help clean up the area around Chittenden all the way to the end of campus housing. This event really opened my eyes to the situation of trash around campus. With so many people on and off campus I wasn’t surprised that there was trash. However the amount shocked me. I don’t usually go around campus and seek out the flaws, so when it was my turn to do my part things changed. It seemed that a lot of people didn’t have the respect for their space as much as I or most recyclers do. Especially if the house just recently had a party. It was strange to me that people weren’t taking responsibility for their mess and cleaning up.

 

Additionally, while at this event I had time to interact with other organizations and individuals who were also giving their time to clean. The organizations ranged in interests and diversity. There were environmental groups, STEM groups, and country oriented groups. Yet all of us understood the need to clean as a global need. We have the tools and resources to begin working to a cleaner Columbus, and together we can get there. Personally, it has made me more aware of my own habits and I know I can do better in this aspect. I can do more recycling and watching my carbon footprint. I can also be more vocal about not only our impact on Columbus but on the planet. I feel like many people find it hard to believe that their small actions will show significance but I don’t think like this. As long as I am continuing to do action towards things I believe in I am satisfied with the hope it gives me for our future. Of course, global warming is a serious topic around the globe, impacting so many but believed by so few. Despite constant warnings, money seems to be the major player and often does not work in favor of our planet. I am not certain if there is ever going to be proper prioritization but I hope that when light is finally shed on the issue, its not too late to try.

Possibilities Abroad

I went to the Education Abroad Expo at the Union in the Archie Griffin East Ballroom. The event took place on September 12th from 2-6pm. This was an academic event. This event got me excited about expanding my education outside of America. As a pre-med student it is hard to find time to both get my prerequisites for my major and for medical schools. Due to this I put my ideas about studying abroad on the back burner because it would have slowed me down in the long run. However I thought that I would go to this event to see if there was anything that could actually work with my schedule. When I got there I started to remember why I wanted to study abroad in the first place. It was to get more emerged in others culture and to see parts of the world that others don’t often get to see. I am passionate about getting to know other cultures and traditions, its informative about the world and the people that live in it. This gave me inspiration to get more invested in study abroad and to see if there was a particular abroad trips that I would enjoy.

 

This event showcases all the places that students can explore and embarks upon. Each one had a key component of having the student immersed in the places they are located to get a better understand of the region and the people. All of them had international components that inferred an education not only academically but socially as well. Personally, it has excited me about the potential opportunities I could expand upon. Having gone to this event I have found some trips that both align with my pre-medical track and don’t get in the way of me graduating on time. In particular a trip to Japan that highlights the cultural aspects of healthcare seems like a course that would be interesting to include in my academic career. It provides a new perspective for me to take from the trip that could really benefit me as a potential doctor. Due to the pre-med track not being a designated major, it is informative to get a closer look at what could be the career I am potentially embarking on. This would supplement my learning and my experience in the healthcare field. If I could develop another study abroad opportunity, it would be a summer healthcare, shadowing and clinical opportunity. Ideally it would be somewhere in Europe. I like the idea of going to Europe because it would give me the opportunity to not only be immersed in international healthcare, but because all the areas in Europe are connected, I would travel whenever I wanted to. This would be a wonderful time to explore the world and it would allow me to continue to build me experience in the medical field. My goals would be to investigate how healthcare and healthcare opportunities are different internationally. I would like to look into how this impacts the people in these countries and what tactics countries use to increase healthcare quality. I’d also like to see current legislation with the aim of decreasing time patients wait time, the education and retention of doctors, and the advancement of infrastructure particularly for healthcare facilities.

 

From this event I have plans to expand my scope on potential experiences abroad and I can’t wait to look more into the possibilities as I continue at Ohio State.

Race and Ethnicity Discussions at OSU

I attended the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity Open house. This event took place on campus on April 25th. This was a non-IA event. This event introduced me the community at Ohio State dedicated to the increase of diversity and open mindedness on campus. The group that was there were very involved in the study of race and ethnicity and welcomed me with open arms. Each person there was excited about the idea of spreading what they knew and making sure that campus knew that their department was open to them. Many of the people invited were scholarly and knowledgeable about their areas of research and were happy to explain their mission on campus. In particular, this open house put an emphasis on implicit bias. This involved defining what implicit bias was and how to identify it. The underlying theme was that everyone can be susceptible to it but it is how you address that really defines a person. This opened my own eyes because I am often trying to asses if I am plagued by bias, but I never stopped to think about how others were also doing the same thing. I don’t often talk about my bias’s with others, but it was interesting to have people who were dedicated to understanding the topic who could credibly speak on the issue. It gave new meaning to the community we have at Ohio State and showed me support that I needed at this time. Everyone’s open mindedness spoke volumes to me and everyone else that joined us.

This event brought in a wide range of individuals who were interested in experiencing what race and ethnicity meant to this department. Everyone was welcome and a lot of races and ethnicities were represented in the room. I think due to this, the conversations everyone had were more passionate and exciting as the room filled with more and more people. Conversation connects us and this topic was a great starting point for the new people in the room. I didn’t feel out of place or not wanted. Personally, I have gained more knowledge about implicit bias that I can implement in my own life. I want to make sure that I am doing the best I can to support those around me. I enjoy constructive feedback in this way so that I can lead a good example for my friends. Academically I hope to encounter more meetings like these so I can learn more about myself and my tendencies. My STEM major doesn’t often have content that engages with topics that IA scholars typically encounter. I often have to reach out elsewhere to converse about topics that relate to politics and the international platform. That is why I like the combination of IA scholars program and a STEM major. It helps me stay in touch with the world outside of campus. Through this event I have gathered a lot of information on how to reach out and partake in more activities like this one through the department. I made sure to leave my information so that later I can return and pursue more information that I so desperately want.

Staying Up To Date On the Important Issues

I attended a current events conversation program. This occurred on Tuesday March 4th. This was an academic event based on reminding everyone about the current events and news that happened in between this event and its previous one. This activity reminded me about a lot of the important events that are currently going on in the world. Living at college it can sometimes be isolating and news falls through the cracks. I like how the event allowed me to take a quick crash course on what I have missed. Through this, we learned more about the North Korean and US summit, the India and Pakistan situation, what is next for Brexit, Venezuela, and more. Some were presented with videos that really highlighted the history behind some of these issues and turmoil that has been going on within these countries. As an American, I think becoming more aware and present in the world’s issues is vital to our participation in global events. Without this reminder about the progress the globe is making, important issues could fade away and without attention could cause serious damage to our way of life. From this experience I have learned a lot about the importance of staying up to date on my world news and being an active part in our country’s affairs. Sharing and debating my opinion is the best way to promote dialogue and relations with those around me. This event very strongly pulls on the idea of international politics and how this will impact the world around me. Topics such as Brexit and how it would impact the world’s economic standing severely, are things that unite us all in a common need to solve the situation. It is with teamwork and determination that real progress is made on issues such as these.

Academically, I gained a lot from the information presented and learned some more information about topics that I thought I understood well. For example, it did not even dawn on me that the situation between Kim Jung Un and Donald Trump was one of the first peace negotiations that were completely run by the leaders. Traditionally, negotiations like these are run by secondary leaders and they relay the information the leaders. However, through some kind of pathway these leaders have thrown tradition out the window and are dealing with one of the most important global issues, by themselves. This information still amazes me when I think about it. Though these are very important global issues, there is not much conversation in the STEM world about this. Due to this, I do not often get to communicate my impressions of the actions and statements from the US and how that could impact us. In this way I enjoy my time to reconnect to the global conversation because I believe this is imperative to pushing the world towards a promising future. Making sure I stay present in the conversation prevents me from feeling like I don’t have an impact in the conversation, which is something I find very important to keeping my life well rounded.

Giving Back to the Community

I attended the MLK Day  of Service event. This took place at the Union on January 21st. This event was very powerful for me and inspired a lot out of me. Right from the start you could feel the energy of the event. Hundreds of students were in line ready to be assigned to whatever needed to be done. Most of us thought we’d be doing events outside, but we came despite how cold we thought it would be. We knew there were more important things. Then the opening speeches and songs commenced, and it provided us with knowledge on why we were doing this and what we should take away from it. The gospel choir afterwards was excellent and really lent to the power of what this day means and how we should reflect from it. My group in particular went to a creative living facility right off of campus. While there we took down decorations and discussed what the facility was all about. The creative living facility was home to quadriplegics and paraplegics that live in Columbus. Some of them go to OSU and are active members in clubs such as gamers club. The facility is a place that allows them to have their own apartment but also some help from RA’s should they require it. Though they have been on and near campus a lot, they have been having a hard time reaching out to people for volunteer help. Our group thought this experience was quite enlightening because it opened our eyes about the types of cool things going on around Columbus and gave us ideas on how to use our time to help the facility out. Each of us was interested in coming back and helping support the program in the community to bring more awareness to how awesome it actually was. This event brought together many different types of people. I met people ranging from instate to international. I found it interesting how service projects bring together all types of people that you have never met otherwise. We also discussed the university together and made some connections through the classes we take and our majors.

 

From this event, I feel I learned a lot about selflessness. Doing my part in my community is very important to me and this was my first opportunity to get out there and show this. It opened my eyes to what kind of community I live in and what it needs from me. I hope that in the future I can have more of these inspiring moments in my life. The classes I take for my pre-med track encourages us to do more community service. Med Schools highly encourage consistent community service. They value the characteristics and qualities a student learns by giving their time regularly to their community. After doing this event I would want to know more about the other places that need volunteers in my community. I would hate for a facility to not be supported because of a lack of volunteers.

Becoming Globally Engaged

I attended the global engagement meeting through the office of international affairs. This was a Non-IA event that occurred on January 8th. The meeting was held in the Enarson Classroom Building. I went to this event not knowing what it would be about or who would be involved in it. At first there were a lot of people in the room who seemed to be very excited about being there. However, when I came to the room, I realized that they were all veterans of the club. This seemed a little daunting to me because I thought this session was going to involve a lot of new people, but it seemed like there was only four of us. When I entered, I felt out of place due to the clusters of people that knew each other seeming unapproachable to me. I sat down for about half an hour without much conversation from anyone even when I tried to seem more approachable by putting my phone away. Then we did an activity where we had to fill up a bingo card and get signatures for the boxes that applied to members of the club. Not only this, but we also had to ask some questions about why they filled that certain box. At this point I started to get more interaction from other people and saw a lot of different personalities within people. I usually signed the box that my favorite color was red which prompted conversation on why red and the other persons favorite color. After the winners were announced we were told to continue to mingle, but I could sense the groups were reforming so I went back to my seat. This is when I met Zhuxiao and Jasmine. They started to ask me questions about myself and travel. They told me they had recently been to California, which I had been to as well. They were also from China, and when I told them about my study abroad trip there, they became really excited. From this sudden change I knew that staying longer was worth it. Although the clusters may have seemed daunting, they were actually really welcoming to new people. Though the event didn’t specifically touch on political issues, it did bring about conversation on international cultures and traditions that was really exciting to engage in.

 

From this event, I could say I gained patience and confidence. Though the night started out rough, it took a turn for the better after someone took the time to talk to me. However, knowing it was that easy, I might have spoken up sooner in the night and could have had a longer conversation with them. So next time I find myself in a similar situation, I will try to put myself out there a little more so I can have a more enjoyable experience. I also learned that people are willing to share if you are willing to ask, so I should have no fear reaching out and asking questions, especially in an environment like global engagement. I am a STEM major, so my classes don’t correspond well with global affairs. There has never been a point where I felt like there was any emphasis on anything beyond the textbook. That is why I joined IA, so I wouldn’t be trapped doing only STEM work while in college.

 

After attending the event, I was left wondering what the club would entail. What I went to was only a welcome event, so I didn’t entirely get the feel for what was going on. In addition, I couldn’t tell for sure, but it seemed like many of the members were taking leadership positions, even selecting topics they’d really like to present on. I’m not sure how this works either but they seemed very enthusiastic about the topics they were planning on discussing throughout the year.

A Bothered Globe

I attended a movie showing of Sorry to Bother You. This was a non-IA event through the PASS organization presenting the movie as a chance to discuss its motifs and themes. This movie was shown on October 23rd and October 30th in front of group members and their peer leaders. This occurred on campus in Denny Hall at PASS’s weekly meetings. This event showed a jaw dropping film filled with twists and turns I had never expected to see in a movie in my life time. The messages the movie was trying to send of oppression and the risks of complacency were shrouded in mythical telling of what seemed to be a normal story. No one part of this movie was without its meaning and upon leaving it, I felt more confused about my place in the world than before. It felt like a call to arms but for what purpose? It was hard for me to decipher. Clearly Cassius Green’s, the main character, struggle to rise in the world and stay true to himself is evident, but the craziness that ensued from his decision to turn his back on morals was something else. I can not describe the entire film either, because there was so much packed into every single scene that I was left feeling overwhelmed yet driven. This movie made me question a lot about my actions as a black person and whether I was being attentive enough to a system that has again and again selected a different race over my own. Is our society getting closer and closer to the type of world this movie creates? Is this a warning sign? I just have no idea what to believe after such a powerful film.

 

This movie greatly relied on the idea of slavery. Throughout, a slave factory is made to seem like a carefree living facility for people down on their luck. This specifically targeted the main characters community, his uncle going so far as to suggest joining it. However, the small group of characters that work tiring jobs at the bottom of the food chain of that company see through it. They rebel against the idea ardently and call it out for what it is. The main character is caught between those two worlds and the idea of whether it is better to get rich and shut up or whether it was better to speak up and get trampled. This is the same for society today. People are oppressed and enslaved all over the world yet many of us turn our backs because we are fortunate enough not to have to worry about it. Preaching to care about the issues of the world is not the same as going out and doing something to change it. Many important issues, like climate change and gun control, are swept under the rug because its not to the benefit of the companies who make money off it. And without fighting, the public turns their back and the issues get worse. In the movie things quickly fell out of control because there was no proper regulation on what the company could do or not. I think this is a message in a sense that if we as a globe do not address our issues, it will be too late to fix them ourselves. I gained a sense of awareness and a need to make sure society is the way it should be, not the way it wants me to think it is. I gained insight on the types of games that could be played behind my back if I’m not careful enough to check on it from time to time. Complacency seemed to be the biggest obstacle the Cassius had to overcome, and I feel this is the same for society too.

 

This event isn’t really discussed in the other classes I take. It’s not a priority in most of my classes to discuss politics but being politically aware is important. That is what this movie showed me. If I am politically active and doing my part and voicing my opinion, the crisis we are headed towards could be averted. After leaving this movie I was left with many questions, but I left with that idea. I didn’t completely understand the meaning and I believe I would need to watch this movie several more times to absorb just half of it, but I still contemplate it. It really shocked me to my core upon leaving the movie and I am not sure when I will be ready to watch this again. So, if I could ask anything, I’d ask about the message. What was the director trying to convey? What does this mean for America? Do you think it’s too late? What was up with that ending? However, I think that the answers are hard to find for a reason and like all art, up for interpretation.

Tree’s of Hope for Those Who Need It Most

I attended the Tree of Hope event where we made cards for newly arrived immigrants in Columbus. This was a service event that took place on September 25th, 2018 in Smith-Steeb Hall. This event was quite humbling to me as I have never done an event that required me to put my best wishes forward to people I had never met. I had to try and understand the strife and fear that many people have when leaving everything they know to start a new life. I had to think of what I would need to hear if I was in that situation with no other options but to keep going forward. Using the things that often help motivate me, I urged in everyone of my cards for the person reading to always keep their goals in sight and that they can achieve them if they stay true to who they are. I think this is an important part of surviving in a new and harsh place because then you will always have that to carry you when you feel lost. I find that the hardest thing about coming to a new place, from my experience, is figuring out how to fit inside of your new life. I also think that this is the most important time to know that who you are is exactly what you need to be to make it in this country, let alone Columbus. Not knowing the experience, they have had severely limited what I could say on the topic, but sympathy is still a powerful tool and I really hope they find meaning from this.

 

Internationally there are a lot of people who are fleeing their homes from war and tragedy making the refugee crisis the largest it has ever been. The sheer number of people leaving their countries has overwhelmed other states and has caused many concerns about the types of people that are passing their boarders. This is a global issue that the UN has dedicated an entire branch to address and make plans for on how to solve the crisis and still support the people fleeing. It is a challenging problem to overcome but if there are people who care about the issue the situation can be addressed. It takes compassion and empathy to enact positive change in harrowing situations as these. Small acts of kinds from us are big acts of support for refugees. To make them feel welcome is the least one can do for displaced individuals. Personally, I gained a lot of knowledge from the coordinator on the importance of connecting with refugees and I was able to put myself in their position. From that stand point, I could sense the fear and anxiety that usually exists when in a foreign place with very little possessions. It is important, to me, that everyone in the country should feel as safe and wanted as I usually feel. I then acted accordingly with my letters, I created them with idea that it was okay to keep your country close to heart while experiencing a new one. As I continue, I will make more of an effort to help support the refugee community and provide the services they need to feel like they belong.

 

This topic was touched on in IA scholars when discussing the queer migration, primarily focused on Russia’s stance on queerness and the LGBTQ community. However, there isn’t much discussion in the STEM field on issues that aren’t directly related to those fields. It’s not often that my coursework really delves into topics that are more humanitarian, which is why being able to experience a break from that load was relieving. More should be done in STEM classes to incorporate good discussion on real life topics because these issues are too big not to address.

A Discussion of Trump’s Foreign Policy with North Korea

I attended a discussion on Trumps foreign policy on the North Korean issue of nuclear weapons. This was an academic event that took place on September 24th, 2018. I thought that this event opened my eyes to the current events that are currently going on in our government. There is a lot of news that often distracts from the affairs going on in the world so I liked stepping out of this and viewing a particularly important topic that felt overlooked. I also learned a lot about the history of America’s impact on Korea as a whole and previous stances on North Korea. It was interesting to compare past presidents decisions on the issue of being directly against the leadership within North Korea to Donald Trump’s approach of goading and compromising with North Korea. I continue to believe that this was simply a lucky outcome of what otherwise could have been the start of a war. However, I do now believe that this approach was needed, despite its recklessness. I understood this after listening more often than not to the comments of my peers and the questions our moderator asked us. This allowed me to step away from my bubble and really explore the different feelings and ideas other people had on the topic. It was very informative to me and expanded my skills in group collaboration and listening.

The nuclear disarmament of North Korea is an important subject for everyone on the planet. It is a very serious issue to have nuclear arms under the control of a leader who’s country is known for its abhorrent treatment of its people and ignorant political policies. With a leader like this, there is a lot of secrecy on why they are building these weapons, what for, and the stability of their prototypes. Due to this, it is the worlds responsibility to actively monitor and asses this situation. Due to our lack of knowledge in North Koreas nuclear use, it is unclear if they will eventually use them against other countries. It is important for the world to stay active in the topic of nuclear disarmament because of the huge human and environmental toll it could yield should they be used in war again. Nobody deserves to go through the hardships that arise from unleashing that kind of power and the only way to prevent this is to continue debates and negotiations for the disposal of the weapons with in countries. I ultimately gained a lot of learning experience in keeping an open mind in discussions and listening more to new ideas and perspectives on issues. It was nice to step away from the ideas I had formed previous to the discussions and to analyze whether it was well founded or if I should change it a bit. My major is chemistry so a lot of world issues outside of science don’t really correlate with politics. However, ethics pertaining to chemistry and the power it can yield is something that relates to this topic. Whether nuclear arms should be made or not has been a divisive argument since they were first created. The science community has a duty to debate topics just like how we did so that an understanding of everyone’s views and thoughts on the subject can be taken into account.