Jacob Caponi was in the IA Scholars program as an undergraduate, and is now completing graduate school at the University of Michigan. Jacob’s presentation really intrigued me because during my first year, I was a neuroscience major as well. His experience with the major was also similar to mine. I felt overwhelmed with the amount of research they were trying to get us interested in, so by taking a step back like Jacob did and finding something he was passionate about is admirable. Like Jacob, I want to find something that I am passionate about for my research instead of just being in a lab to be in a lab for my resume. Broadening your skills on topics that you find fascinating is so much fun and enjoyable and in the end, like Jacob said, you get much more out of your research and many new perspectives.

His research about the reintegration of Rwandan criminals convicted of genocide sounds very interesting, especially his focus on the integration of women who were involved with genocide because they are often overlooked when it comes to heinous crimes. His dedication to this research project is very inspiring and encouraging, and it makes me want to find a research project this year to work on. I am not sure if pursuing a PHD is something I want to accomplish down the road, but I wholeheartedly am interested in broadening my knowledge and skills with a research project. Also, if I get accepted into the Nursing program, I want to hopefully participate in the honors research distinction where I would work with a faculty mentor, much like Jacob, on a project of my choosing. Because of this, I really enjoyed hearing everything that Jacob had to say and his advice about how to best get into a lab and become comfortable around your superiors. Research can be demanding and intimidating, but it is very rewarding, and I really appreciated being able to hear about how research has impacted a fellow IA scholar’s life and future.

Being a STEM major, I really enjoyed listening to what Tristan had to say and the ways he was involved with STEM through his extracurriculars at Ohio State. I chose this presentation also because my favorite teacher in high school, my physics teacher, had worked for NASA on some very important projects like what Tristan is doing.

I really enjoy learning about space and the programs that NASA is working on, so having the opportunity to hear first-hand some of the work that goes into a space launch was really interesting. Tristan is specifically working on testing for NASA’s SLS rocket, which will return astronauts to the moon as part of the Artemis program. Tristan said he has been working in the same area of NASA where the Apollo program had been developed, and growing up, my Dad loved learning about space, and he actually worked on some space defense programs from an electrical engineer standpoint, so he was always talking about the space launches and the Apollo movies, so this presentation became very sentimental for me.

My favorite part of the presentation was learning about the test control center that NASA uses. Tristan talked about how the testing center is in bunker-like buildings nearby to the actual test stands and how big it is. There is a 125,00 acre acoustical buffer zone surrounding the site, so nearly the size of Columbus! It was really interesting to hear about the sound of the engine tests and how they are actually not as loud as you would expect. Also, he said that NASA will be producing a virtual experience for upcoming SLS tests, so the public can be a part of the experience.

I thoroughly enjoyed this presentation because I find space fascinating and because learning about this reminded me so much of important people in my life. This presentation relates to international affairs because space programs and launches are heavily intertwined with international relations since space is an international zone and many countries are invested in collaborating and learning more about space.

I watched the 4th presentation in Samantha Zimmerman’s current events series. We learned about the Myanmar Coup, the wrongful expulsion of European Diplomats by Putin leading to protests from the opposition, the post Vale Dam compensation in the form of payouts to families of those who were killed and also in the form of socio-economic and socio-environmental reparations, the brushfire in Perth, Australia causing hundreds to evacuate, the bomb plot to blow up a rally held in France by an Iranian diplomat, and that the US economy is adding almost 50,000 new jobs.

The current event that I found to be the most interesting was the coup in Myanmar. Myanmar is experiencing unrest because people are protesting that there was no voter fraud with their latest election and that Ms Suu Kyi won fairly. Something I found to be the most interesting about this protest was the fact that the protesters used the three finger salute from the Hunger Games to symbolize defiance against authoritarianism. Also, when it comes to protests, at least like we have experienced in the United States recently, most are not very peaceful, but there was no violence between the police and the protestors in Myanmar. The protesters actually gave the police roses and bottled water and called on them to support democracy, which I thought was very interesting and unique. The internet shutdown that occurred because of these protests is quite troubling. The government turned off access to facebook, twitter, and Instagram to prevent the mobilization of more protesters. I feel like this is the best thing that could have happened for the protestors in terms of further showing why they were protesting. Controlling social media and access to the internet is a grave violation of freedom and something that would only happen with an authoritarian government.

This event relates to International Affairs because we learned about current events that are happening around the world. It is very important, especially as International Affairs Scholars, to stay up to date with the news, domestically and internationally, so I very much enjoyed this event and Samantha’s presentation style.

Alex Lane works for the Center for Career and Professional Success at Ohio State’s College of Arts and Sciences, and he gave a presentation on GoinGlobal, which is an online platform for students in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Fisher College of Business, and the College of Engineering interested in pursuing an international job or internship.  Students must log in through handshake in order to access GoinGlobal.  Something I found to be really interesting was the fact that the web page could be translated into over eighty languages, which gives so many people the opportunity to utilize this platform.  Alex did a really good job at explaining the Country Career Guides tab, which outlined every country, global city, and U.S. city that has up-to-date job and internship opportunities.  I really liked the fact that the people who are updating the information about each position and city/country are actually residing in that city/country.  Each destination on the page provides current Covid-19 information, an introductory video and tour, job and internship information, which companies are currently hiring, what to do to perfect your application, what to do when you secure a job or internship,  professional and personal networking, and  information about what it is like to live there.  I was also very impressed with the resume and cover letter examples and tips on how to prepare for your interview.  GoinGlobal is a very well-rounded platform that has everything you could possibly want to research about a job or internship abroad, and the best part about it, like Alex said during the presentation, is how much easier it is to research a position abroad this way since all of the information is in one spot. This truly was a very helpful and insightful presentation, and even though I am no longer in the College of Arts and Sciences, i will definitely be asking some of my friends who are if we can look through the vast opportunities together!

This presentation relates to international affairs in many ways because the platform, GoinGlobal,  has catalogued and keeps up-to-date information about available job and internship positions in almost every country in the world.  It facilitates diversity in experiences by promoting unique opportunities internationally, and it reflects very positively on Ohio State for providing this platform as a resource to so many students.  Overall, I really enjoyed Alex’s presentation, and I look forward to finding someone in one of the three colleges listed to research in more detail job and internship opportunities in countries I have always dreamed about visiting.

Samantha Zimmerman is the academic chair for IA Scholars this year, and she put a presentation together about current events happening in the world this week.  I really enjoyed listening to Samantha’s presentation, and I thought she did a great job at keeping us engaged, especially with the kahoot game in the beginning to preface the current events we would discuss.  Overall, I was able to learn about the beheading in France, protests in Bangkok, protests in Nigeria, and the rescue of the endangered Loa water frogs.  I particularly enjoyed learning more about the beheading of Professor Samuel Paty because I remember the news about the shooting in 2015 at the Magazine office that printed the cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed that Samuel was killed for showing in class.  I think Samantha did a really good job at explaining the issues France has been having with the right to free speech and people getting offended and acting on their frustrations, like with these incidents above.  I also was more interested in this section of the presentation because I have a friend currently living in Paris attending University, so this made me think of her and her safety regarding potential future acts of violence.  

The next current event discussed was the protests in Bangkok.  A group of students began the protests because they did not agree with the military having influence in the classrooms since Thailand is a monarchy.  In 2014, their Prime Minister participated in a coup that resulted in taking power away from the citizens and appointing a senate, and the people are just now making their voices heard. They adopted the slogan “Resign. Rewrite. Reform” to increase public support for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.  The third current event discussed was the protests in Nigeria regarding citizens wanting the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad(SARS).  The anti-police brutality protests were also led by students who had, had enough and decided they were going to advocate for change, which is becoming increasingly popular around the world for so many different issues, not just for these two protests. The students in Nigeria were able to establish a helpline for emergencies and set up legal services to those in need.  It’s very inspiring for me to see that actual change is being made because of my peers and age group!  We also discussed the restoration of an endangered species of water frogs native to Chile, which made me really happy because I am a very big advocate for the environment. 

All of these stories have to do with international affairs because their impacts have a world-wide effect.  The beheading in France has sparked another wave of islamophobia because the attackers were Muslim.  Students around the world are gaining more confidence in protesting for their rights and beliefs because of the successes from protests like the ones in Bangkok and Nigeria, and multiple conservationists were able to collaborate and successfully repopulate an endangered species.  

Laura Joseph is an Assistant Director in the Center for African Studies, and she gave a presentation on her experience and other OSU students’ experiences in the Peace Corps.  I have now had the opportunity to hear about the Peace Corps from Laura on two occasions because she visited my  International Affairs Scholars seminar class last year in person, and her presentation gave me inspiration to become more involved with UNICEF at Ohio State this year and international humanitarian aid work in the future.  She served in the Peace Corps in West Africa in Benin, assisting with education.  The Peace Corps has six areas that volunteers work on throughout the world; they are agriculture, youth in development, education, environment, health, and community economic development.  Her experience and the experience of another OSU graduate in the education field during their time in the Peace Corps really interested me because I have always wanted to teach english to children abroad.

In 2019, OSU was ranked 6th in the nation for number of alumni accepted and serving in the Peace Corps, which is definitely a ranking that makes me very proud to be a buckeye.  I would love to volunteer for the Peace Corps someday or volunteer for an organization like the Peace Corps once I get my nursing degree.

Pre-COVID, the countries that the Peace Corps served were located in central and south america, western, eastern, and southern africa, east asia, and some of eastern europe.  Up until the outbreak, the Peace Corps consisted of living and working with a community overseas for two years, integrating into a host country culture where you learn a new language and work on projects ranging from education to business development.  Something I found interesting, but also extremely sad, was the fact that for the first time ever, the Peace Corps had to force all of its volunteers to leave their post and go back home because of the pandemic.  For some volunteers, the evacuation meant leaving adopted pets, surrogate families, friends and co-workers and not knowing if or when they would be able to return.

The Peace Corps relates to International Affairs in almost every way imaginable.  It was founded by JFK as a way to bring the message of democracy and free markets to the world, especially to the Soviet Union and to China.  The mission/fundamental experience of peace corps has not changed.  The Peace Corps is still focused on promoting world peace and friendships with the mission and major strength being soft diplomacy and power of personal relationships.  The goal of the Peace Corps is for americans to understand the rest of the world and for the rest of the world to understand americans.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has been turned upside down, and Sam Stelnicki went into detail during her presentation describing some current events from around the globe.  France deemed bakeries a necessity given their impact on the economy and in the French citizens’ daily lives.  Vladimir Putin postponed the referendum that would have decided whether or not he could be in power until 2036, and also included in the referendum were gay marriage rights among other things.  The Netherlands which is home to one of the world’s largest flower growing/selling industry is struggling due to the pandemic because flowers bring in $6.7 billion in profit each year to the country.  Most of the flowers are wilting and being composted because people are not out like usual this spring buying them from vendors.

U.S. prisons are also struggling to contain the virus because there is no way for the prisoners to social distance.  Because of this, talks about releasing the more vulnerable prisoners are under way along with restricted visitation becoming a possibility.  The Hungarian Prime Minister has been granted universal power for fighting the coronavirus, so he does not need parliamentary approval for any of his decrees.  Also, anyone who gives false information publicly about the coronavirus is sentenced to five years in prison.  In Turkmenistan there has always been severe censorship enforced, and that has not stopped with the coronavirus.  The government has not reported any cases, but there are rumors saying otherwise.  In addition, saying the word coronavirus is illegal now and citizens can be arrested for wearing face masks and talking about the pandemic.  Also, Sub Saharan Africa is experiencing a recession because of the pandemic.  Their total losses for the year are predicted to be around $37-79 billion, and they don’t have adequate healthcare systems to handle the economic strain.

Everyone everywhere is being affected by the coronavirus in some way, and it is the greatest global threat this world has faced for many decades.  As of today, over three million people in the world have been diagnosed with COVID-19, so this current events discussion relates to international affairs in every way imaginable.

Joselle Carrillo talked about her research experience at The University of *ichigan through the Summer Research Opportunities Program to further her knowledge in psychology, her major.  She said the perks of her position were getting paid, networking for graduate school, assisting with hands-on clinical work, waived GRE fees, and free practice tests for the GRE.

Joselle talked about how research allows you to delve deeper into a field of study you are interested in, and how it allows you the opportunity to build meaningful student and faculty connections.  She also said that research can provide clarity for post-undergraduate plans, and it can make you a stronger applicant for graduate and professional school.  Pursuing summer research can allow you to dedicate more time to your work since you will not have classes to worry about.  In addition, starting in the summer will help you get you more familiar with lab/research methods if you decide to join a lab during the following academic year.

The most popular research opportunities are research through an outside program like the summer research opportunities program Joselle participated in or research in an OSU lab on or near campus.  Doing research in an OSU lab gives you more flexible hours and the chance at a longer-lasting position as well as it provides an opportunity to build connections with faculty and graduate students, but it is usually unpaid.

Joselle also gave some tips for when applying which included reaching out to the writing center and the Dennis Learning Center for help with our personal statements and resumes.  She also said to ask for a letter of recommendation at least six weeks in advance and from a professor we have at least had two or more meetings with, so they can write a strong letter.

Joselle’s presentation relates to international affairs because research does not just apply to the city or country it is being done it but rather all around the world it can have an impact.  Many researchers get advice and work with people from many different countries, and someone can do research in any part of the world.  The opportunities are limitless, which makes research exciting.  Overall, this presentation was very helpful, and I look forward to pursuing research the following year.

The Carmen Collections Conversations event was put on by the Office of International Affairs, and it was in honor of this year being the sesquicentennial for Ohio State to honor past buckeyes and their stories.  During the event, we learned and discussed about the first story to be a part of the Carmen Collections, which was about the “OSU 34.”  The “OSU 34” were a group of 34 African Americans OSU student who participated in a sit-in protest at the police station for unfair treatment based on race.  We watched a video that had been put together about the students who were involved and heard their take on what they did and why, and it was very interesting because what began as a sit-in with only 34 black students became a sit-in with hundreds of students of all races fighting for civil rights.  It was very inspirational and a part of OSU’s past I was never aware of until that day.  During our discussion we all said that we felt this was an important part of OSU’s history along with many other stories in the Carmen Collections that should be more publicly recognized and brought to attention.  The other story we learned about was in regards to the International Wives Club and how Ohio State had this organization for wives of students, faculty, staff, and visiting professors to give them a sense of community and a place of comfort since they shared an international background.

Both stories that we learned about were very interesting, and I would very much like to learn more about some of the other stories in the Carmen Collections.  This event relates to international affairs because it allowed us to learn more about Ohio State’s past with people from different cultures.

The Taste of OSU was put on by the Office of International Affairs, and it was an event that allowed students from many cultures to come together and share a piece of themselves with everyone through a performance or cuisine.  My favorite part of the Taste of OSU experience were the performances, especially the dance routines.  I have been dancing for sixteen years, and I very much appreciate what dance has the power to convey and how it is unique all over the world.  The performance I enjoyed the most was by the Japanese Student Association because their costumes were gorgeous, and the music and routine were so peaceful and beautiful to listen to and watch.  The other performance I really enjoyed was by the Students for Justice in Palestine and the Arab Student Union because it was very unique.  Their way of dance was very group oriented in the fact that each move was dependent on someone else being there with you, and it was incredible to watch because I am used to dancing to the same routine with everyone around me, but we are performing individually and not linked at the arms or hands.

In my opinion, the Taste of OSU should always continue because of the international influence it has and the appreciation it brings every student being able to learn more about our peers’ cultures.  This event also relates to International Affairs in every way because it is promoting cultural awareness and providing everyone with a greater global perspective.