I participated in the end of semester service event, CRIS Tree of Hope Mural at Columbus Global Academy on Saturday December 1st. The International Affairs Scholars organized and designed a mural for the hallway inside the Columbus Global Academy, which was funded by The Ohio State University donors. The students that go to Columbus Global Academy are only children from refugee families organized by Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS). The children are able to learn English and practice skills to adapt to living in a new country. The Mural includes two walls, the main wall with the tree and a second wall with the word ‘library’ written in different languages. The mural was designed by IA students, Anne Knellinger and Zoe Sikon. The design incorporates a tree centered in the middle of the wall with animals surrounding the tree. Each of the animals are from different children’s stories from the countries of the refugee students that go to the school. Some of the animals include a crane with a crown, a black spider, a fox, a sleeping leopard, a large snake, and a tinty turtle. These animal stories were chosen to help create a connection for the children to recognize and relate to things from their home country. The mural process included taping and laying down of tarps to protect the wall and floor from paint, tracing of the digital image that was projected on to the wall, and then painting of the images with the correct colors according to the designed photo. This not the first mural painted by IA Scholars inside the school, and included before a mural with international flags. The murals are a small service adding to the improvement of the lifestyle and views of refugees within our country. This event is pertinent to international affairs and to the community as it deals with the refugee crisis within the United States and how Columbus and Ohio State is able to be involved in helping refugee families in other ways. I enjoyed my time working on the mural and learning about the cultural connections that will be portrayed in the new artwork and how it will brighten the school environment.