Event: Community Commitment

Time: 8/24, 7:30 AM-1:00 PM

Location: Habitat for Humanity

To kick off the beginning of my second year at Ohio State, I decided to attend the Community Commitment event with some friends. At this campus wide event, hundreds of students went into the Ohio Union and were\ sent off to various organizations around Columbus to participate in service activities. The places people went to varied from the Olentangy Wetlands to Goodwill. My group and I were sent to the Columbus Habitat for Humanity. I wasn’t sure what we would be doing because I didn’t really know what Habitat for Humanity did and I always associated this organization with building houses. We walked in and saw aisles of furniture, wood, and other building materials that were for sale. Our leader greeted us and explained that Habitat for Humanity is essentially a Goodwill store and a Lowe’s combined. Instead of selling thrifted clothes and accessories, they sell thrifted furniture and tools. Learning that a store like this existed was good to hear because I know basic housing necessities are expensive. Being able to get these items for a cheaper price is very helpful for those who cannot afford to pay the full price at a store like Lowe’s. Our leader continued to explain the goals of Habitat for Humanity and how they impact our community.

When our volunteering began, we were informed that we would be smashing wooden pallets that they no longer needed. This was exciting as I had never destroyed something while volunteering. We did this for the two hours that we were there and let me tell ya I was very sore the next day. Although it was physically exhausting, I had a good time since I learned more about an organization I knew nothing of. I found it personally enriching to learn more about what Habitat for Humanity does on a local scale rather than just building houses. I would say this related to International Affairs because Habitat for Humanity’s goals include creating a world where everyone has a decent place to live. By having a shopping center where local Columbus residents can purchase low-cost materials, they are able to help people in our community achieve this goal of decent living conditions. Having locations all over the world allows Habitat for Humanity to reach out internationally and help improve the shelters of those who cannot afford the outrageous prices of housing materials.

Event: MLK Day of Service

Date: January 21, 2019 from 7:30AM- 1:00PM

Location: Ohio Union/Broad Street Presbyterian Church

This month I attended the Martin Luther King Day of Service with some friends. When we got there we were given shirts and food to get us fueled for our day. Once the commencement ceremony began, the main speaker talked about Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and how each of our actions done that day within our community would help keep his legacy alive. He also talked about how this event was for Aretha Franklin as she was also an avid civil rights activist throughout her life. The service done on this day was meant to commemorate the message of love and care that both of these individuals spread. The ceremony was also filled with performances including rapping, choir singing, and dancing to hype us all up for the day. It was very uplifting and I felt even more ready to go out and work.

Once the introduction was over, we split off into our groups and were off on our way to our separate locations. My group ended up going to the Broad Street Presbyterian Church to help clean up and organize the church and do any other tasks that they needed us to do. When we got there they had various rooms that they wanted us to completely reorganize to make things easier to find in the future. I washed and organized the dish cabinets and helped sanitize the kitchen area. Unfortunately we were not able to finish cleaning everything in the short time we stayed in the church, but we did make good progress.

After finishing up at the church, our group sat together and discussed the experience we just had volunteering. Although this experience did not completely change my life, it did make me feel good knowing I did something helpful for someone else and that would enhance the experience that kids would have at the church. This experience helped me realize that even the smallest actions can make some positive impact on another in need. I never really thought about how volunteering connected to Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, but after hearing about it I’m now aware that just helping others in need is all about what MLK preached. I feel more inspired to continue this legacy and continue serving my community after this event.

Our group leader also talked about BUCK-I-SERV and encouraged us to apply if we want to continue our service endeavors. I actually applied for a BUCK-I-SERV trip after hearing so much about how fulfilling these trips are. I decided to apply for a BUCK-I-SERV in St. Petersburg, Florida to learn about the marine ecosystems in the region, help clean up the coastal areas, and remove any exotic plants. I felt that this trip suited my interests the most out because I have always been passionate about environmental conservation and I would love to learn more about the marine life in Florida. I am not sure if I am even going, but if I do get accepted, I hope to enhance the coastal community in some way to help the marine life that inhabit it as well as the people that live around it. Service has been a part of my life since high school and with this event I have become more inspired to continue serving my community in college and keep Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy in my life.

Service Event:

Big Buckeye Lil’ Buckeye

October 22, 2018 from 4PM to 6PM

       This month I joined a volunteer program here at OSU called Big Buckeye Lil’ Buckeye. BBLB is student group that volunteers with the after school program, Healthy Asian Youth (HAY). This community program facilitates a space for academic and personal growth for anyone of any race, but more commonly the Asian youth. People of Asian descent are typically stereotyped to be wealthy and able to achieve constant success both in society and academia. Because of this stereotype, the Asian Americans that do not have the tools to thrive like this are often overlooked. This is why HAY and BBLB strive to provide educational, cultural, and emotional support for the Asian youth through the after school volunteering program. The volunteers and mentors of BBLB serve as role models that provide a supportive and empowering network for the kids to rely on. In addition to this, BBLB serves to educate the Asian youth in their cultures. Through monthly visits on campus, BBLB and HAY work together to create interactive programs that not only educate the kids on different Asian cultures, but also familiarize them with higher education opportunities at OSU. The at-risk Asian youth are largely ignored by society because many stereotype Asians as people who do not need help, when in reality that is not the case at all. It is important to make these kids feel valued and provide them with all the tools they need to be the best they can be.

      My first volunteering experience was on Monday, October 22 and I went to the Asian American Community Services building in Upper Arlington with a couple of other volunteers. The other girls that I was with had already been regularly volunteering on Mondays, so the kids already knew and loved them. It was heartwarming to see how happy the kids were to see BBLB volunteers and it was obvious that the girls had already made an impact on their lives. I had no idea what to expect, but I was excited to meet with the kids and learn more about them. All of the kids were fairly young and all had unique personalities. Even though I only spent two hours with them, I still feel like I learned a lot about each one just by the way they interacted with me and the other kids. Since I was a complete stranger to them, they kind of ignored me but I did make conversation with all of them and helped them with whatever homework they struggled with.

       About an hour in, some special guests from COSI arrived and demonstrated DIY science experiments with the kids showing concepts like potential energy, kinetic energy, friction, and states of matter. I wasn’t aware that this would happen, but apparently COSI comes in every Monday to show new experiments that teach the kids a variety of science concepts! I thought this was super interesting because it brings in a certain interactive and visual element of teaching that we as volunteers can’t really provide. Once COSI’s demonstration ended, we had to go back to campus and that is what concluded my first volunteering session. I truly enjoyed volunteering with the kids and I hope I can stop by at least on Mondays so I can build a stronger relationship with them.

       I joined BBLB because I wanted to get more involved in Ohio State student organizations and I wanted to find something that I could connect to my Asian culture and heritage. As a kid, I never really had a role model to help me understand my Asian background and teach me how to maintain my Asian identity while living in America. Although my mom tried to keep Japanese culture present in our house, it became increasingly difficult to find a balance between this and Western culture. I believe having a role model would have created a connection between myself and my Asian culture and that is what I want to build for these kids as a volunteer in this program. I hope to not only help them with their academic struggles, but I want to encourage the kids to embrace their cultural heritage and empower them in feeling confident in who they are. In addition to this, I hope that this program helps empower me in my Asian heritage. I would like to feel even more connected to my culture as well as Asian cultures other than my own. I think this first experience went very well and I am looking forward to volunteering more and possibly becoming a mentor in the future!