Meet our 2018-2019 members!
Di Xu
Hometown: Karamay, China
Year: Junior
Major & Minor: Environmental Engineering with a minor in Media Production and Analysis
Project Group: Environment
Interests & Fun Facts: I love travelling and trying all kinds of food. I have a candle called Mac Candle NO.2, which smell like new Apple products.
What does it mean to be globally minded to you as a future leader?
People said that the world is full of five-minute experts—anyone with five minutes and access to the internet can become an expert on pretty much anything. Indeed, internet access brings us many possibilities of life and bring the world closer but it cannot substitute wisdom. Globally minded thoughts and ideas are the wisdom of a future leader. This wisdom can prepare me to deal with a diverse working environment. Also, being globally minded can let me respect my peers and influence them to achieve a common objective.
What is/are your favorite moment(s) in GLI?
GLI retreats were the highlight of my time in GLI. These retreats made me know others better and made us get closer. Everyone was so warm. Especially the fun learning experience at Tim Sword made me feel the love of GLI family. Also, I love to have one on one meetings with other members. We always had nice talks and really knew each other. It’s really interesting to explore the difference and similarity between us.
If you could describe GI in one word, what would it be and why?
I would use the word ‘inspiring’. I always want to be an open-minded person, since I think that being open-minded is the only way to respect the diversity(the differences between people). GLI made me realize that I am open-minded and inclusive but not enough. Even though now I have a better understanding of ‘privilege’, ‘mindfulness’, ‘gender’, there are so many lessons that I still need to learn. I am really excited about my future GLI experience and waiting to hear new opinions that can challenge my old perspective.
Phil Cappelli
Hometown: Strongsville, Ohio
Year: Junior
Majors: Economics & Spanish
Project Group: Education
Interests & Fun Facts: Anything that lets me get a unique experience: Climbing, hiking, any sport or outdoor activity, reading, & eating adventurous foods are some of my favorites.
What does it mean to be globally minded to you as a future leader?
Being globally minded to me means considering all perspectives as someone who may be faced with difficult decisions in the future. Acting with a global mindset means that everyone has a seat at the table and a plate in front of them. To ensure that everyone has a spot and a plate means considering all of the unique perspectives of people all over the world and that is something GLI has helped a lot with. You can never truly be a leader if you are only leading the few, a leader is one who inspires and uplifts a lot of people, many of whom are very different than yourself. Being globally minded will makes me able to be an effective leader in this ever diverse world.
What is/are your favorite moment(s) in GLI?
My favorite moment in GLI was the retreat to Tim Swords farm out in the country. We had the opportunity to spend the afternoon together as a group and do lots of fun activities during the day. I learned a lot about the people in this years cohort as well as myself during the retreat from discussions we had during our lunch. I really enjoy the group socials we all do together and the retreat was just an extra unique experience for all of us to have. Being on a farm was an uncommon experience for just about every person in the group, and it was cool to ubiquitously find ourselves in an unfamiliar space as a group.
What are your aspirations in becoming a globally-minded citizen?
I hope my career takes me to a place where I can work directly with people from all over the world in a job that touches a lot of lives. I would like to work in either sourcing of materials from another country or working in import and export as a trade advisor. There’s a big world out there that becomes more and more available to us every day. I want to be able to see as much of it as possible and write about those stories in the future. Being in a position that allows me to interact with people from all over the world gives me that opportunity.
Todd Borgerson
Hometown: Mason, Ohio
Year: Second
Major: Operations Management and Political Science
Project Group: Feminism
Interests & Fun Facts: Lover of Oreos, movies, and soccer.
What does it mean to be globally minded to you as a future leader?
The world today is more interconnected than it has ever been and with an increased access to the global community, comes a responsibility to learn as much about that community as possible. Being able to think about more than just the small community around us is key to becoming effective leaders in the world we live in today. Being able to relate and understand as much if the world as we can is key to becoming an effective global leader.
What are your aspirations in becoming a globally-minded citizen?
I got the chance to travel abroad for the first time last summer and I felt like I was just barely scratching the surface. I want to feel more connected to the massive world around me and better understand my place in it. The only way to do that is to continue to learn as much as I can by both traveling and participating in things such as GLI at home.
If you could describe GLI in one word, what would it be and why?
Connection. GLI brings people from all different backgrounds and connects us to each other which leads us to feel more connected with the global community as a whole. GLI offers the unique opportunity to feel connected to each other on a personal level which leads us to feel more connected to the world.
Julia Rizk
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
Year: Senior
Major & Minor: Finance with a minor in Mathematics
Project Group: Health and Wellness
Interests & Fun Facts: I really enjoy going to the Columbus Museum of Art (I’ve always loved the Chihuly exhibit) and I love to run. I’m on the Track/Cross Country team here at Ohio State.
What is/are your favorite moment(s) in GLI?
My favorite moment was one of our first sessions: MCC came to speak about identity. I was able to learn so much about my fellow cohort members in such a short amount of time. I feel that was the first time all of us really bonded about the people we are and how we want to be viewed or treated. We realized that all of us have a story to tell and all of us are struggling to describe ourselves even though we are old enough that we should know who we are. I thoroughly enjoyed learning a little bit of everyone’s story and it makes me excited for the year ahead.
What are your aspirations in becoming a globally-minded citizen?
My aspirations in becoming a globally-minded citizen include being aware of others’ differences and celebrating them. The single most important thing I think is to be open-minded and learn as much as you can. Without these attributes, it would be almost impossible to become globally-minded. After succeeding in this area I think it would be beneficial to spread everything I have learned to others so that they may understand, even if it’s a minute amount, more about the world around them.
How do you think GLI can contribute to your future professional career?
Presently, business everywhere is international. There isn’t one company that doesn’t interact with a business from a different country. Learning and understanding those cultures is vital in building relationships with other corporations. For me, GLI will aid in my appreciation of eclectic communities and my current international peers. My interaction with other cohort members will allow me to make mistakes with friends and learn for the future with professional colleagues.
Jocelyn Robertson
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
Year: Junor
Major & Minor: Marketing with a minor in Music, Media, & Enterprise
Project Group: Culture & Religion
Interests & Fun Facts: I play guitar, I’m an avid YouTube watcher, a huge fan of David Dobrik, John Lennon holds a special place in my heart, and new music makes my world go ‘round.
What does it mean to be globally minded to you as a future leader?
As a future leader pursuing a career in a Fortune 500 company, it is extremely important to me to remain globally-minded. Many of these companies not only have global locations but they also have a diverse group of employees. Everyday I am going to be working with people who come from different experiences, cultures, thought processes, and working styles. So, it is crucial for me to remain intuitive and sensitive to what is going on around me. To me, being a globally minded future leader is someone who advocates for diversity, bridges the gap between international and domestic communities, and takes an anthropologist approach to learn about people. I hope to bring these traits in to my future career and make a true impact on the environment around me.
What are your aspirations in becoming a globally-minded citizen?
While I don’t have my entire life planned out yet, one of my goals throughout my career and personal life is to remain someone who is consistently taking time to learn about people who are different than me. I’d like to do that through immersing myself in other cultures, building lasting relationships with others, and staying well read on the world around me. In addition to this, I have always been an advocate for diversity and I plan to take that spirit into every leadership position and experience that I am apart of!
How do you think GLI can contribute to your future professional career?
Even in the first couple of months of GLI, I can already see my personal skills growing. I’m finding that there is a leader within myself, I’ve developed better skills in time management, and I’m functioning within a team that is truly collaborative. All these experiences have given myself the boost of confidence that I need to take on a professional environment and not to mention, I have already been able to talk about some of my experiences from GLI in interviews!
Andrea Edland
Hometown: Stavanger, Norway
Year: Sophomore
Major & Minors:World Politics with minors in International Business & Economy, Development and Sustainability
Project Group: Human Rights
Interests & Fun Facts: I absolutely love traveling, hiking and stargazing since all of those things help me put things and situations into perspective. Also, if you ever catch me watching Netflix, I’m probably watching a documentary.
If you could describe GLI in one word, what would it be and why?
This will sound cheesy, but the word that best describes GLI for me is “inspiring.” GLI is a program where I have the opportunity to meet people from different cultures and with different experiences, which I have learned a lot from. Also, with GLI being a leadership program, the cohort is filled with people who are great at what they do, highly involved on campus, and have career plans that are amazing. Our weekly meetings have also made me explore my own identities, which has been a great learning experience. Overall, the people I get to meet and experiences we are provided with through GLI inspires me to be a better person through hard work and being open-minded.
What is/are your favorite moment(s) in GLI?
My favorite moment of GLI (this far) was the retreat to Tim Sword’s farm. It was very relaxing to get away from the stress of school to rural Ohio where it felt like time stood still. Tim and Doug were also incredible hosts and made the day amazing by teaching us about the history of farming and the house Doug had restored. Being around such knowledgable and interesting people was inspiring. My favorite part of the day was when Tim was asking the members questions trying to get to know them. Since the questions weren’t just surface level questions it also gave us the opportunity to get to know each other better. Oh, and I also really loved their dogs.
How do you think GLI can contribute to your future professional career?
The only thing I am certain of when it comes to my future professional career is that I want it to have a global element to it. My academic career is providing me with a basic understanding of how the world works, however in order to get a true understanding of cultures one actually has to interact with people from different places. GLI provides me with this opportunity to talk to and learn from people who are very different from myself, but also have a similar perspective in believing in the importance of being globally minded. I believe the experiences with GLI members will help develop my communication and leadership skills which is important since I want a career with an international aspect. I also believe working on the project and the monthly dinners will help me in the future with stepping out of my comfort zone and networking.
JiaBao Xu
Hometown: Fujian, China / Saipan, Northern Marianas Islands
Year: Junior
Major: Accounting
Minor: Economics
Project group: Culture and Religions
Interest: Hip-pop music and basketball. I enjoy island life.
What does diversity and inclusion mean to you?
As an international student here in Ohio State University, I think diversity means having many students from different countries and cultures and inclusion means treating these students with respect and learning to appreciate their cultures. The Ohio State University has a large number of international students and it provides us with a great platform to get to have a more sophisticated understanding of diversity and inclusion. I will continue to explore different cultures on OSU campus and the city of Columbus and try to cultivate friendships with people from different backgrounds.
If you could describe GLI in one word, what would it be and why?
I will use the word “diverse” to describe GLI. The cohort members of GLI are very diverse and we have people from all over the world, The great diversity of GLI gives me a chance to listen to people’s opinions on one issue from different perspectives. In addition to that, the diversity of the cohort members helps me get ride of many stereotypes I used to have on certain cultures. I’m very thankful to GLI for bringing all these excellent cohort members that represent their cultures and beliefs because it really broadens my horizons.
How do you think GLI can contribute to your professional career?
The GLI is a project-based program. Cohort members of GLI will get into a project group and work as a team. Team members will share their own thoughts, critique others’ ideas, and discuss about the details together. By doing this, we will enhance our interpersonal and problem solving skills. These soft skills are very important to have for me because the quality of team work determines the efficiency. GLI is a program that helps us develop these skills.
Hariz Faesol
Hometown: Ipoh, Malaysia
Year: Senior
Major: Economics (Fisher College of Business)
Project Group: Human Rights
Interests/Hobbies/Fun Facts: Coffee, Soccer, Travel. Also, I love to step outside right after the rain stops, just to enjoy the pleasant, calming and powerfully evocative smell of fresh rain.
What are your favorite moment(s) in GLI?
Every single one-on-one meeting. I love listening to others’ perspective and treasure all the talks we’ve had so far. I prefer these one-on-one meeting as you will understand someone better on a personal level rather than when meeting them in a group. In the end, one of my goals for my involvement in GLI is to turn as many of those who I view as “strangers” into someone whom I can proudly call as friends.
What are your aspirations in becoming a globally-minded citizen?
Being a globally-minded means that you have to deal with a multitude of assumptions and perspectives from people from different geographies and cultures. It is vital to recognize that underneath it, people will always have a shared vision and a common understanding. Respecting and acknowledging the richness of differing worldviews allows for new ideas to emerge. However, it does not come on a silver platter without an effort to open the path for it. My aspiration in becoming a globally-minded citizen is to live in an environment where we can feel comfortable not just talking about our similarities, but also sharing a dialogue about our differences and uniqueness.
How do you think GLI can contribute to your future professional career?
GLI contributes in terms of networking by providing a platform to expand my social and professional networks. The weekly meetings, monthly dinners, and group projects help us to interact with various people on and off the campus. GLI also opens my mind towards a new horizon. All the discussions we have formally and informally can potentially stimulate the untapped part of our thinking and prepare me to understand someone’s point of view even when I disagree with them. In general, GLI takes us out of our comfort zones, challenge our strongly-held beliefs and perspectives, and expand our mindset.
Kathryn Byerly
Hometown: Mason, OH
Year: Sophomore
Major/Minor: Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry
Project Group: Culture and Religion
Interests & Fun Facts: I am passionate about music, painting, food, traveling, and anything that can be done out in the sun! My perfect day would be water skiing while jamming out on the boat and the occasional fun food stop.
What does it mean to be globally minded to you as a future leader?
Being globally minded is to be considerate of all perspectives both within and outside of your own community. To be an effective leader, you have to be able to communicate effectively and positively with the vast variety of people. Our world is increasingly becoming globalized and it is inevitable that we will come into contact with wide diversity throughout our lives and professional careers.
What does diversity and inclusion mean to you?
To me diversity and inclusion mean being open minded and welcoming to all identities and beliefs beyond your own. We are fortunate to be in a world that allows constant discovery and exploration of cultures vastly different with stunning similarities. By immersing yourself in practices other than your own it allows you to have new perspectives on your own beliefs.
What are your favorite moment(s) in GLI?
My favorite moment in GLI was going to Tim Sword’s farm. Not only were my thinking patterns challenged when I was in the hot seat, but I learned so many amazing things about my peers that I would have never known otherwise. It was amazing to get off campus and see everyone in a completely different setting than on campus or in Columbus. Top that with pumpkin carving and ghost stories after dark next to a cemetery and what more can you ask for.
Sneha Arora
Hometown: Delhi, India
Year: Junior
Major: Finance
Project Group: Education
Interests & Fun Facts: I love exploring new cities and I love roller coasters!
What does it mean to be globally minded to you as a future leader?
It is crucial to have a global mindset in today’s interconnected world. Being globally minded is to be mindful and open-minded towards different perspectives and to understand how each of these perspectives add value. Nothing in this world happens in vacuum. It is an advantage to have that global exposure and being comfortable with different ideas and dynamic environment which caters to needs of people from around the world.
What are your favorite moment(s) in GLI?
I love weekly meetings and discussions where we have influential speakers come in to talk in a no-penalty environment. It is a safe space where everyone can share their feelings and opinions. I get to learn from the speaker and my peers who are pursuing different majors and are from different parts of the world. It is very interesting for me to look at things from different angles.
How do you think GLI can contribute to your future professional career?
GLI is a unique program which gave me an opportunity work in a global team. I work with and learn from people from different backgrounds and with different perspectives. This program has made me more open minded and has enhanced my leadership and interpersonal skills. I believe that these skills will be very useful in the future. It is really great how GLI helped me expand my network.
Da-Yeon Chung
Hometown: Seoul, South Korea
Year: Senior
Major: Strategic Communication
Project Group: Feminists
Interests & Fun Facts: I play the cello! I got lost in Milan once, and I have a Pomeranian mix puppy
What does it mean to be globally minded to you as a future leader?
To be a globally minded future leader, is to be inclusive of other identities and diverse interests and cultures. It is to be mindful of the present as well as thoughtful of the impacts of own’s decisions. It is also to not remain ignorant, but constantly learning and educating oneself to help and make the world a more peaceful and harmonious environment. As a globally minded leader, I hope to continue to expand my knowledge by exposing myself to unfamiliar environments and having dialogue with different people in order to better incorporate different values and mindsets in understanding the happenings of the world around us. I also hope that my future work can be more inclusive to different kinds of people and that others are inspired to also be globally minded through my example.
What are your aspirations in becoming a globally-minded citizen?
My aspirations include travelling around the world in order to remind myself (as well as others in my future conversations) of the world that we live in. We often forget about the different cultures and lifestyles of other people, and I hope that through my travels I am able to understand different cultures better as well as be more familiar with different backgrounds and thoughts. I want these experiences to cultivate me to overall be more approachable, more empathetic, and understanding of others in all situations. I hope that it also educates me on the rich history and personal priorities that each culture may have so that I am also able to appreciate each one through my interactions and life.
How do you think GLI can contribute to your future professional career?
GLI has consistently given us the tools and environment to have dialogue and educate ourselves about different topics around the world and in our own personal community. They have also provided us a setting in which we are able to foster conversations with people from around the world and to appreciate one another’s cultures in an enriching context. I am constantly inspired by the workshops we attend in which speakers come from various backgrounds and educate us on different fields of sociology, politics, environmental studies, as well as cultural diversity. I am inspired as well as excited to apply this knowledge to my future leadership roles in not only my work area but as well as my own community in which I can grow and foster dialogue in. In my future career, I will be better equipped to handle my surroundings and be more educated about the world.
Ruiyu Tan
Hometown: Dongying, China
Year: Senior
Major & Minor: Geographic Information Systems with a minor in Psychology
Project Group: Feminism
Interests & Fun Facts: I enjoy fun activities in many scopes: taking long walks across the city, hitting the gym, visiting the local bars and eateries, or simply staying in researching on arthouse movies, daydreaming all the while; when caught in a more serene mood, I like to be alone reading or writing. (Fun fact: I once stayed up roaming the streets in NYC until the next morning.)
What are your favorite moment(s) in GLI?
For the first retreat, we went on this scavenger hunt that required us to wander around Columbus with fellow GLI members and mark our stopping at signature sights such as local market, galleries and coffee shops. It was slightly chilly with some drizzling of rain, but taking the time to know other cohort members in the grander context of the city we all live in allowed for bonding that happened not only naturally but lastingly too. Likewise, all the social events bear very convivial and open vibes where I find myself connecting to others easily. Oftentimes, prominent professionals in their fields around Columbus are often invited as guests to speak to us about their global perspectives, which is another of my favorite moments of GLI due to the networking and learning opportunities that come with it.
If you could describe GLI in one word, what would it be and why?
Expansive. Every other member, like myself, also gears toward the development of global perspectives and does so with an amazingly open mind very much like your own. Yet everybody comes from different background in a worldwide context, bringing in exciting knowledge on matters that vary across cultures so I can learn more about human-geographical diversity through authentic stories they’ve lived through. Otherwise, meeting renowned guest speakers truly broadens my understanding of global leadership as they exemplifies ways to make an impact with examples that come from personal experiences. GLI demonstrates vividly the interplay of diversity and inclusion, through a means so earthy and authentic I feel myself expand constantly.
What are your aspirations in becoming a globally-minded citizen?
In an era where globalization happens rapidly, it is unrealistic to not encounter perspectives foreign to us; when it happens one has the choice to absorb or resist, and I’ve always chosen the former. The earth may sound like a small place in this very technically advanced time we live in, but it gets big should you try to explore it and take a closer look. And there is so much more than meets the eye, which is why I’d like to equip myself with an receptive mind so as to pierce through the surface of phenomena and arrive at the pith of their being, even when in a different cultural context. Once understand, a culture with its barriers to other ones become simply eliminable. The world demands collaborations between cultures, and I hope to ameliorate the communication necessitated for understanding of one another.
Wan Khairul Ehsan Wan Remeli
Hometown: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Year: Sophomore
Major & Minor: Architecture with a minor in Fashion Retail and Korean minor
Project Group: Health and Wellness
Interests & Fun Facts: I buy flowers for myself, eat Nutella out of the jar and buy same black shirts when I’m bored.
What are your favorite moment(s) in GLI?
I think one of the best things in GLI is getting to meet with each other every week. It sounds like a huge commitment and it is, but that’s when everyone get to update each other about their lives before and after the speakers gives his or her talk. Also, I love 1on1 that we have been doing, it’s a unique culture that GLI has and I appreciate the one on one sessions that we had because we get to know a lot about a stranger in just an hour and become instant friends in that period of time too. Social events are precious too, they definitely make GLI members become tighter as you get to spend more time with each other outside of weekly meetings.
If you could describe GLI in one word, what would it be and why?
Awesome. Being in GLI is one of the best decisions I have ever made in OSU. I did not expect it to be this fun but obviously that’s wrong. It definitely helps me improve my communication skill and broadens my networking with a lot of people from different backgrounds. This is going to be a memorable experience that I will cherish when I graduate. So the best word to describe GLI is Awesome.
How do you think GLI can contribute to your future professional career?
In weekly meetings, we get different speakers come talk about different things that we do not get to listen to everyday and I find them very fascinating and informative. We also get to meet amazing people in our monthly dinner which is a great opportunity to learn new things from people who actually have real experience about work, jobs, educations and etc. Every activity leaves each GLI member with a great impact towards our future career. Being able to work with this community that has same global mindset is definitely a good experience that will benefit us in our professional career. GLI consists of a group of young leaders that is going to spread love and positivity to the future generation.
Jamilah Muhammad
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
Year: Senior
Major & Minor: Communications (Communications Analytics Practice – CAP) with a minor in African American and African Studies.
Project Group: Human Rights
Interests & Fun Facts: I love to travel and learn about the common person, because the common person, may be worldly different than another.
What does it mean to be globally minded to you as a future leader?
To be globally minded, means to be open-minded in the aspect of perspective and self-evaluation. This meaning that, in order to be globally minded you not only have to be aware of the perspective of others in the world, but also must evaluate yourself and be mindful on where you stand in the world. To be globally minded, means that as a future leader you realize the things that make us seem worldly different, can be the things that bring us together and make the world we live in smaller, better and more understanding. As a global leader you are also a lifelong learner and educator. One has the duty to continuously educate themselves and others, and it is a global leader’s job to learn from and educate those from all walks of life in the world.
What does diversity and inclusion mean to you?
Diversity and inclusion mean making the world a more equal and equitable place. Representation of all cultures, races and ethnicities is necessary to have systems and conversations that are representative of the global community in which we live. Having inclusive and diverse groups are vital in making the world more equitable place, because this country has been founded on “liberty and justice for some”. Diversity gives those who are not a part of the majority or not included in the original intention of “liberty and justice for all”, the opportunity to advance and take part in major decisions that affect the community in which they identify with. I believe that diversity and inclusion not only allow a diverse group of races, cultures, genders, etc., but it means diversifying the types of ideas and perspectives that can make the world a more comprehensive and representative place.
How do you think GLI can contribute to your future professional career?
Global Leadership Initiative has given me skills that are pertinent in the world of media. Media and how media is communicated can determine how we view one another and the narrative a nation or people create about another. I believe that if the media entities we see today, were more globally educated, then the divisive rhetoric and narrative that the people are given, wouldn’t be to the degree it is at this most critical time in world history. I think GLI gives me perspective on the world that media entities want and need, because it is the ability to have perspective and understanding when interacting with different types of people, whether it be interviewing a victim of a hate crime or talking with ambassadors. The opportunity to be a part of Global Leadership Initiative is unmatched, because not only do you gain lifelong friends, connections and resources, but you get a lifelong lesson in global perspective and understanding.
Pedro Abdul Tokushiro
Hometown: Irvine California
Year: Sophomore
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Project Group: Education
Interests & Fun Fact: Music, traveling the world. I am Brazilian, Japanese and Lebanese
What does it mean to be globally minded to you as a future leader?
As a future leader, being globally minded means being open minded; accepting that everyone has their own background and culture, and every opinion has a different perspective. With that mindset, I will be able to communicate and make relations with people around the world, as well as learn and absorb many aspects of different people and cultures.
What are your aspirations in becoming a globally-minded citizen?
In becoming a global minded citizen, my aspirations are to be able to have met and learned about as many different cultures and people as possible. In doing that, I would like to not only exchange cultures and ideas, but also bring different people together, as I believe that the world can be improved exponentially if it brings together different perspectives.
What is/are your favorite moment(s) in GLI?
My favorite moments in GLI are the presentations from different staff or people that come share a little bit about their lives during our weekly meetings. These guests share with us what is like to travel to different places and give us ideas and pictures on what it is like to be a global minded person after college.
Yanting Chan “Jennifer”
Hometown: Hong Kong, China
Year: Senior
Major: Accounting
Project Group: Education
Interests & Fun Facts: Treehugger and deeply in love with the ocean. Recently addicted to Korean spicy noodles.
What are your aspirations in becoming a globally-minded citizen?
My aspirations are from our diverse campus. As someone who grows up in a monocultural society, studying at OSU is such an eye-opening experience because I get to engage with students from basically every corner of the world. It makes me realized why it’s important to look for similarities and celebrate differences among every group of people.
How do you think GLI can contribute to your future professional career?
GLI helps me to acquire the sensitivity to human differences and the ability to relate to people from different cultural backgrounds. It enables me to build the groundwork to be comfortable working and interacting with a variety of individuals of all nationalities in our career.
What are your favorite moment(s) in GLI?
The opportunity to discuss culture/global-orientated topics in a very comfortable environment with like-minded peers and speakers is very valuable and precious to me. It’s just really cool to be able to learn something new out of our weekly meeting every time.
Mike Reese
Hometown: Maumee, Ohio
Year: 5th year
Major: Environmental Engineering
Project Group: Environment
Interests & Fun Facts: I love photography, filmmaking and anything involving movies. And copious amounts of coffee.
What does it mean to be globally minded to you as a future leader?
To me, being globally minded centers around respect. I think a lot of people get so wrapped up in their own cultural view that they forget that every person they meet has a different story. Being globally minded means learning how to understand these stories and how to be respectful of everybody’s perspective. I hope that by learning from my fellow cohort members, I can grow as a leader and be more involved in the global community.
What is/are your favorite moment(s) in GLI?
I really loved the farm excursion at Tim Sword’s house. It was a refreshing break from campus life, and I learned a thing or two about my cohort members that I hadn’t learned prior. I also really enjoyed the end of the year banquet for the previous year’s cohort. This was the first time I met members of my cohort, and I also made some friendships with GLI members from last year that I wouldn’t have made normally. Finally, I have really enjoyed my one-on-one sessions! I think it is a really cool way to get to know my cohort (and e-board!) a little better.
What are your aspirations in becoming a globally-minded citizen?
One of the reasons that I think GLI is so important is that we are becoming more and more globalized. There is so much intersection between cultures, and I think it is crucial to be able to work with people from other parts of the world. Personally, I hope to get involved in humanitarian engineering in different countries after college. Based on past experiences, I’ve learned that before you can help people in different parts of the world, you must learn to understand how they live and what they value. I’m hoping that GLI helps me to be able to connect with those that I want to help.
Meghana Yechuri
Hometown: Al Khor, Qatar
Year: Junior
Major: Data Analytics
Project Group: Health and Wellness
Fun Fact: I’ve gotten bit by an ostrich.
What is/are your favorite moment(s) in GLI?
I love every aspect of GLI. GLI meetings are the only reason I look forward to Mondays. The etiquette dinners are pretty nice too. It’s definitely rare to have such networking opportunities being a college student. It’s nice to be able to talk to people from different fields and walks of life as it gets really easy to just stick to people in the same major as you. I also really enjoy the socials that we have. It helps me get to know the other cohort members so much better.
If you could describe GLI in one word, what would it be and why?
Enriching. GLI is such an amazing learning opportunity. Even in such a short span, I’ve been exposed to so many different kinds of cultures, backgrounds, and people I would have never interacted with if I was not a part of GLI. I’ve been able to learn so much through the workshops and even talking to people from the cohort. I’ve had to think about things I’ve never thought about before.
How do you think GLI can contribute to your future professional career?
The world is becoming such a small place now with the help of technology. We are able to travel and work in so many different parts of the world. In the workplace, technical skills are definitely important but what sets one apart from their peers are the soft skills that they possess. Knowing how to interact with a wide array of people, learning to handle conflicts and being able to adapt to new situations under pressure are very valuable skills. These are just some of the skills GLI embodies in us. GLI helps me constantly remember that we all may come from different parts of the world but at the end of the day we have so much in common and it’s important to focus on that when trying to build a connection with people and instead of focusing on differences. This helps create a friendly environment in school and the workplace.
Gabriella Paczko Bozko Cecchini
Hometown: Porto Alegre, Brazil
Year: Junior
Major: Double major in Political Sciences and World Literatures
Project Group: Environment
Interests & Fun Facts: I am a fencing athlete since I was 8 and fencing and this is something I love. My hobbies are reading, cooking and watching movies that make me cry (which most of them do, actually!)
If you could describe GLI in one word, what would it be and why?
A challenge. I believe this is the best word to describe it, because of the very objective of the program, which is to acknowledge and appreciate all the different cultures that exist in the University, and, at the same time, to foment the inclusion of them, a quest that is definitely easy. After all, recognizing difference is not enough to promote a true cultural exchange, it is necessary to search for a deeper integration.For me particularly, the program is also a challenge, as it pulls me, a shy person, out of my confort zone and gives me the opportunity to interact with many different people.
What are your aspirations in becoming a globally-minded citizen?
Having been born in Brazil, something that I am extremely happy and thankful for, made me realize the enormous unequality that exists in society, both inside my country and between my country and others. This way, becoming more globally-minded represents, for me, an opportunity of understanding better the reasons for this unequality and the ways in which we can change it. Also, it represents the chance of getting to understand the other better, despite all of the cultural and historical differences that we may have. Ultimately, the many differences that divide us are very small compared to all of the similar things that unite us as humans.
How do you think GLI can contribute to your future professional career?
Since I still am not certain about what I want to do in my life in the future, I believe the program definitely will be a great opportunity for me to explore different subjects and to find out what I want to pursue in my career. The workshops and talks we will have during the year will be, for sure, fascinant experiences to provide me important informations and tools on how to become a better global citizen. And, finally, it has been amazing to be surrounded by so many interesting people, with a myriad of cultural backgrounds, stories do tell and lessons to teach me, so the contact with them during the year will be a life-changing experience.
Kanon Kawashima
Hometown: Saitama, Japan
Year: Junior
Major: Finance
Project Group: Environment
Interests & Fun Facts: My hobbies include reading, traveling, and people! Even though I lived on an island country, I can’t swim and I dislike shellfish.
What does it mean to be globally minded to you as a future leader?
To me, being globally minded is to understand each others unique backgrounds, and build relationships beyond those differences. It means to be open about learning other peoples’ cultures, values, or opinions, and not judge them whether they align with yours or not. This also means that you really have to go out and meet new people, start the conversations, and share your own story! I believe it all comes down to respect and the willingness to learn and expand your view.
If you could describe GLI in one word, what would it be and why?
Authentic. The people in the program are very unique, and even though I’ve only been with them for a short time, I have learned so much from every person. Through their stories, you can tell how open-minded, bold, creative, and intelligent they are. Although we have similarities, each individual has their own color and flavor that makes them original. I’m looking forward to how each project will reflect the personalities of the project group members!
What are your aspirations in becoming a globally-minded citizen?
My goal is to pursue in a career that fosters relationships between different countries through business, especially with my home country, Japan. Although Japan has potential to grow and build relationships with the world, it still has ways to go to becoming a globalized country. I wish that GLI will help me become more cultured, so that I ultimately I can bring Japan to a bigger global stage. That being said, I also want to become globally minded so I can share my experience with other people, so others will have a diverse view about the world.
Emme Mattaridi
Year: Senior
Major: Geographic Information Science
Project Group: Human Rights
Interests & Fun Facts: I’m a middle child. I can play most string instruments (I own a violin, ukulele, guitar, and a harp!). I love reading and at my best I can get through about 3 books a week. I love rock climbing, hiking, and obstacle courses. I aspire to design our Mars colonies one day.
What does diversity and inclusion mean to you?
Diversity and inclusion are two topics that are very close to my heart. I come from a biracial household and as I grew up, I realized the complexity of straddling two worlds. There have been many times in my life that I felt I could not celebrate both halves of my heritage and I regret that a lot. I want to be sure that no matter where I am in the world, I am creating a space than anyone and everyone feels safe expressing their identity and taking pride in who they are.
What is/are your favorite moment(s) in GLI?
My favorite moments in GLI have been describing the program to guests or other people that aren’t familiar with the content of GLI. It fills me with pride to describe the values of this cohort and what we are all doing to promote that mission. Every meeting we have is particularly exciting because I know that this is a rare experience that most students at OSU or other universities may not have. I love being a part of something rare that is really doing work in the community and world to develop globally minded leaders.
What are your aspirations in becoming a globally-minded citizen?
I aspire to be an individual that can open myself up to new experiences and learn something new everyday. As the world gets smaller and everyone becomes more connected, it is important to me that I understand the context that other people are living. My experience is diverse in many ways, but in no way encompasses the magnitude of human experiences. If I am globally-minded, I may be able to connect more deeply and share knowledge in more profound ways.
Mustafa Abubakr
Hometown: Grew up in New Jersey, spent high school in Saudi Arabia, of Sudanese background
Year: Sophomore
Major & Minor: Sociology and International Relations and Diplomacy with a minor in Arabic (Pre-Law)
Project Group: Health and Wellness
Interests & Fun Facts: I love traveling, and have been blessed to be able to visit 17 countries and counting in my lifetime. I also enjoy playing soccer, and play for the Indoor Soccer Team. Lastly, my unofficial full name has 6 names: Mustafa Waleed Abubakr AbdulWahab Mohammed Salih Ibrahim
If you could describe GLI in one word, what would it be and why?
The word I automatically associate with GLI is “community.” Unlike other clubs, the atmosphere in GLI is different in that the cohort is one big friend group. We sometimes hang out on the weekends, and the one-on-ones are a great way to know everybody personally.
What is/are your favorite moment(s) in GLI?
One of my favorite moments at GLI was when we took a trip down the Short North to the North Market. It was one of the first times I’ve been down High Street past Popeyes. One of the great things about GLI is that it opened up the city of Columbus to me, including when we did that scavenger hunt during our retreat.
How do you think GLI can contribute to your future professional career?
In my future, I want to be a diplomat. GLI would really be beneficial to me because it’s a great way for me to meet and interact with people that I wouldn’t have been able to know. I’ve already learned a lot about some cultures that I did not know before.
Xiaoyuan Yu “Elsa”
Hometown: Qingdao, China
Year: Senior
Major: Finance and Japanese
Project Group: Culture & Religion
Interests & Fun Facts: I speak Chinese, English, Japanese and currently learning German by myself. Fun fact: I’m a big fan of a Japanese idol group and passed their first round audition in China this summer 😉
If you could describe GLI in one word, what would it be and why?
Definitely diverse. We represent a variety of countries which is amazing because I haven’t seen such a diversity in any other groups or organizations in our community.
What is/are your favorite moment(s) in GLI?
Monthly dinner and hanging out with other cohort members. Thanks to GLI, I could have a chance to meet with professionals and leaders in various fields and have fancy dinner together. Also, one of my dreams is to make friends with people from different countries and backgrounds. Joining GLI helps make it come true. I love all the cohort members (plus eboard, of course) and really enjoy hanging out with them. I feel that I have learned much from them about their cultures through deep conversations which also helps me with my group project.
What does diversity and inclusion mean to you?
Personally, I think it means to be open to others that are different than you and trying to accept their differences. I lived in Alabama for two years prior to transferring to OSU, and I experienced both discrimination and racial stereotypes, through which I saw the terrible reality of living in a place where most of the people are close-minded. They refused to know more about the outside world, and I was completely exclusive to them, although most of them were kind to me. Based on my personal experience, I think diversity and inclusion means much to me, and being an open-minded person is crucial in the globalization era. Those who refuse to accept different ideas or perspectives from different races or ethnities will fall behind the times and become ignorant and less competitive.
Yilin Zhang
Hometown:Chengdu,China
Year: Senior
Major: Operations Management
Project Group: Feminism
Fun Facts: transferred from University of Alabama
What are your favorite moments in GLI?
My favorite moment is the fall retreat that we had the icebreaker activity. We went out the the room and stranded in a circle. First, we were not familiar with each other but everyone was excited to know each other. This activity made us become closer and have opportunities to know each other’s hobbies. I like the moment when all of us stranded together,hand in hand, like a real family.
If you could describe GLI in one word, what would it be and why?
Family. We respect, support and care about each other. That is what family is. We share our cohort’s happiness, but also try to help each other. We are not individuals but family members, we are growing together and helping ourselves to be better and global minded.
How do you think GLI can contribute to your future professional career?
I think the projects, monthly dinner and weekly meeting can contribute to my future professional career. Firstly, the project can develop my leadership, organizational and team work skills. Secondly, attending the monthly dinner with professionals help me to learn more about real industry and hear from successful professionals. Additionally, it also requires me to behave like a professional, which will benefit my future career. Lastly, discussions, which is conducted during weekly meetings, help me to have a critical thinking. Hearing about guest speakers’ stories inspire me from many prospectives and expect one day I can be as successful as they are.