Climate Migration on the Rise

The spring 2020 semester came to a very interesting conclusion with the COVID-19 pandemic causing the university to close and all activities to be conducted virtually. For this entry, I watched a Q&A video of Dr. Joyce Chen, a professor in the CFAES. She is an economist and focuses her research on climate migration in Bangladesh. Human migration is increasingly being fueled by climate change. One of the most pressing issues is rising sea levels affecting coastal areas. Many people will eventually be forced out of their homes if the current trend of rising sea levels doesn’t change soon, but not all migration is permanent. Some engage in temporary migration. This often involves rural families sending family members to cities to find jobs in manufacturing and construction for a few months a year to keep the money flow coming in while some stay home to take care of livestock and other agricultural needs. In Bangladesh specifically, men are often the migrants while the women of the family tend to the farms. Dr. Chen spoke of how segregated Bangladesh still is with gender roles. Unmarried women are often the only women that migrate to find work. Much of her research has been conducted through surveying citizens of Bangladesh repeatedly over many years. Covid-19 has affected her research negatively by making it more difficult to survey. Instead of the normal person to person format, they now rely on phone calls, emails, and even special apps to get their surveys to the people of Bangladesh. Many of the migrants from Bangladesh find themselves working in large cities in India, but India has been sending these workers home due to COVID-19. It was really interesting to hear about how this pandemic has affected those in other areas of the world.

The Carmen Collections

On March 3, I attended a Carmen Collection conversation to fulfill the academic IA requirement. The Carmen Collection is a collection of untold stories, both good and bad, about the university that were brought back for the 150th anniversary this year. It is modelled after a similar project at Rutgers University called the Scarlet and Black Collection. A group of people was tasked with going through the university archives and locating important stories that have been forgotten over the years. The event highlighted only a few stories from the collection. The first story was about the OSU 34. This was a group of 34 African American students who took over a university vice president’s office two weeks after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. They were holding a teach-in to protest the treatment of Afican Americans on campus. All were arrested and charged with trespassing. This story was especially interesting to me because OSU, like any college, loves to brag about all the amazing things, but you never hear about the darker parts of their history. The next story was about the international wives club, which was an organization that welcomed international women who came overseas with their husbands who were students. This club gave important resources to these women by showing them how to do little things such as shopping and laundry in the US. I never knew such a club existed. The final story of the event was about the Campbell’s soup fund. This was a $40,000 donation made by Campbells to the university office of minority affairs to be given out as scholarships to minority students. I was surprised to learn that this fund still exists and is giving scholarships to this day. I found this event very interesting and I’m looking forward to learning more about OSU’s history over the next few years.

MLK Day of Service 2.0

On January 20, I attended the Martin Luther King Jr. day of service to fulfill the service IA requirement. This was my second year in a row attending this event. Our group of IA scholars was sent to an organization called Teens Hopeful About Tomorrow (All That). This organization works with underprivileged teenagers to help them graduate high school and make good life choices. It is an after school hangout spot and place to get homework help. When we arrived, we were tasked with cleaning up the spaces in their building. By sweeping, dusting, and wiping everything down, we alleviated a lot of upkeep work and gave more time for volunteers to dedicate to the students. We also spent time filling up snack bags for students who may have a hard time finding food. When we finished cleaning, we had the opportunity to meet a few of the teenagers and parents who rely on this organization. It was really interesting to hear how All That has helped them to succeed in the classroom and life. Several of the students were surprised with our wanting to help them; they probably had misconceptions about college students. This was an interesting learning experience and I’m glad I got to meet some of the leaders of All That, they were truly inspiring people.

Advice For My Future Career

On November 6th, I attended ASC career connections to fulfill the Professional Development IA requirement. The event included a speaking panel which discussed social justice and how they are able to make a difference in their positions. One panel member started a nonprofit, one works in healthcare, and one is a hiring agent for their company. Although these men all had very different jobs and educations, they all are able to fight for what they think is right within their companies. They discussed how to find a job where you can fit in and make a difference. They encouraged you to find a job that fits your personality and a company that upholds the same values as you. Being authentic in everything you do will result in the most job satisfaction. The panelists also highlighted volunteering and community involvement as a way to set yourself apart to future employers and to make connections with all kinds of people throughout your community. Life experiences are just as important if not more so than education. Follow your passion and then bring your education with you for the ride. The most stressed point of the evening was to build relationships, make connections, and get uncomfortable. Connections in the business world are key and can often help in job searches. This panel was super helpful and gave great advice for me to use in the future when hunting for jobs.

The Truth About Immigration

On November 5th, I attended global engagement night to fulfill the campus IA requirement. The theme of the night was myths about migration. Many of the myths we discussed were things I had heard before, such as “immigrants steal jobs from American workers” and “Europe is experiencing a refugee crisis.” The reality of the matter is that more than 25% of entrepreneurs in the United States are immigrants. Their businesses add to the economy and do not take away jobs that Americans would otherwise have. The claim about the European crisis is also incorrect. Europe isn’t experiencing a crisis, they are simply experiencing a large influx of migrants. The situation has been framed as a crisis, giving it a negative connotation and adding to the stigma against immigration. Another key point of the night was going over terms such as refugee and asylum seeker as well as reasons why people migrate. A refugee is a person who is outside their country of origin for reasons of feared persecution, conflict, generalized violence, or other circumstances that have seriously disturbed public order and, as a result, require international protection. An asylum seeker is someone whose request for sanctuary has yet to be processed. People most often migrate to escape situations where they have been persecuted against. It was a great experience and made me question many of the anti-immigration policies that have been hot topics of conversation the past few years.

Exploring Columbus

On September 15th to fulfill the social event requirement, I went on a bus tour of Columbus with a group of IA students. I chose this as my social event because even though I am a second year, I haven’t seen much of Columbus yet. I have only ever been to the Arena District on a few occasions and I am very glad that I took advantage of this tour.

The tour was very informative and gave history about each area we saw, which was really interesting to hear. The tour showed me athletic venues, shopping centers, music halls, parks, restaurants, and beautiful historical neighborhoods. The bus was within 15 minutes of campus the entire time, which was super helpful because I now realize the close proximity of all of these new (to me) places. I never realized the wide range of attractions that Columbus had to offer. The tour guides also mentioned D-Tix Discount Ticket Program many times. This program is housed within the Ohio Union and offers tickets to students at discounted prices for many different events from music to sports all over Columbus.

After going on this tour, I want to spend more of my down time going to see more areas of Columbus. My favorite part of the tour was the Short North. I didn’t realize that there were so many different and unique food options just a short COTA ride down High Street. I also want to try Jeni’s ice cream, which the tour guides highly recommended. With my new knowledge of Columbus, I hope to go out and explore more in the coming years.

Is Your Personal Wellness Up To Par?

On August 27, I attended a student wellness presentation put together by the campus Student Wellness Center. The presentation began with a rundown of different wellness initiatives on campus and how we are able to access them. I was surprised to learn about all of the different resources available to us students including groups such as Buckeye Food Alliance, financial coaching, nutrition coaching, and The Body Project.

The bulk of the presentation was then spent discussing the 9 dimensions of wellness. This was quite interesting and included several categories that I never thought would be included in wellness, such as career wellness and creative wellness. Career wellness involves making important decisions about your major/career and finding meaningful ways to use your strengths in these endeavors. Creative wellness was concerned with your ability to appreciate your surroundings, express yourself, and to use multiple perspectives when analyzing a topic. The presenter stressed that only focusing on a few of the dimensions of wellness can cause others to lack. It was interesting to talk about how all of the different angles of wellness connect and interact throughout your life.

The presentation concluded with an opportunity to talk about our own wellness and setting goals to improve just one aspect of our wellness. Before this presentation, I thought I had a pretty good grasp of what wellness was, but there were many areas of wellness that I had never considered. I have always been more preoccupied with intellectual, physical, and social wellness. With my knowledge gained from this, I hope to be able to better track my own wellness and make better choices to improve my wellness.

Martin Luther King Day of Service

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, rather than sleeping in because there were no classes, I joined a group of 10 IA scholars at the Ohio Union. There were hundreds of Ohio State students at the event. Small groups were sent to 30 different locations all over Columbus to give back to the community. Our group was sent to the Center of Science and Industry, also known as COSI, where we helped put together science experiment kits. COSI is a museum that is very hands-on and teaches you a lot about science. The kits we helped put together are sent to schools nationwide that are unable to visit the museum. The kits coincide with instructional videos and allow kids to have a hands-on science learning experience. It was a refreshing experience to give back to the community, especially to kids.

My First Ted Talk

On November 27th, I attended my first ever Ted Talk. It was about breaking the cycle of human trafficking. I never thought that I would find an interest in this subject, but I found myself telling my friends about the ideas presented for days afterword. The talk consisted mostly of Judge Paul Herbert from the Franklin County Municipal Court describing his creation: CATCH Court. CATCH stands for changing actions to change habits. He created this court in 2009 to help victims of human trafficking and prostitution escape the lifestyle. Many women who get caught up in the sex trade had rough childhoods. CATCH Court allows the women arrested to get probation, treatment, and counseling to help them turn their lives around rather than a jail sentence or a fine. The judge doesn’t look at you and ask, “What is wrong with you? Why would you do that?” They look at you and say, “What happened to you? How can I help you?” Through this court, the re-arrest rate for prostitution charges in the county dropped from 80% to 29%. The talk even included several women who went through the program telling their personal success stories. It was very refreshing to hear about the progress being made to end the sex trade in the area.

Branching Out into the World of Law

For years I have been on the medical track. I love the life sciences and have always wanted to help people get better, but medical professionals aren’t the only people who get to help others. People in the field of law work everyday to benefit others. On October 25th, I volunteered my time towards the Ohio State Law Fair, an event that included representatives from numerous law schools nationwide. Many people in pre-law or who are considering law school attended. My job was to be a greeter and to direct representatives and students alike to the check-in table.  It was very interesting meeting the law school representatives. I met many great people and was happy to be able to help out.