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On 2/2/2021 I attended an interviewing workshop through the Career Counseling and Support Services at OSU. The workshop broke down the entire interview process, from preparation all the way until follow-up. Additionally, the workshop I attended counted for the first part of a two-session interview program CCSS offers. 

I’ll admit I was surprised by the amount of work and preparation that goes into executing a successful interview. I’ve never had a formal interview since the jobs I’ve had in the past have been part-time entry level jobs. That being said, my mom has a lot of experiences with professional interviews; she’s helped a lot of my family prepare for their interviews but the advice she’s given me in the past only scratched the surface of what was discussed in this workshop. My mom has emphasized the importance of practicing and rehearsing prior to the interview, and following up with the people you interviewed afterwards. However, I found that the process suggested in this workshop remind me a lot of how a paper is written. For example, you need to do research beforehand, create a bank of skills (which is similar to an outline that you make before you write a paper), and you need to provide examples/experiences you have to backup your skills. I found this really interesting because in my writing I often will just state things, rather than going in depth and explaining the reasoning behind what I say. This has made my writing surface level and mundane. I can see myself falling back into this habit in interviews, and I think it’s very important that I prepare and concentrate on building an interview skill-set that will set me apart from other interviewees and allow me to have professional success. 

I had been thinking about seeking out help from CCSS in my first semester, so it was nice to have this low stakes experience with the program to get me acclimated with how things are done at CCSS/what I can expect when I attend services through the program.

     On 1/25/2020 I attended an alumni spotlight meeting that featured Elena Akers, an OSU alumni who majored in International Studies and participated in IA. I really enjoyed this meeting because I found a lot of similarities between myself and Elena. Not only in our academic interests, but in the way that we enjoy participating and involving ourselves in lots of different activities which often leads to being overwhelmed by commitments. Thus, a lot of the advice she had to offer I resonated with and I found this session really enlightening. 

     One of the things that Elena said that I thought was particularly interesting was that during undergrad she felt she was the only one out of her friends that cared about/ had an interest in political affairs (specifically far-right radicalism). Although I’m not experiencing that identical situation, I am currently living in an agricultural learning community and not many of the friends I’ve made through my dorm share the same interest in politics or the humanities that I do. 

     I also found Elena’s story really inspiring because, like many people in 2020, her life took a completely unexpected turn. However, Elena was able to find another opportunity that she is really passionate about and has discovered new interests. I really related to losing out on opportunities due to COVID, but I found it really inspiring that despite her losses Elena was able to find an opportunity that she really enjoys, and that she wouldn’t have had if COVID hadn’t changed her life so drastically. 

     I watched the GoinGlobal Information Session that took place on 11/2/2020. The information session was extremely informative, and I was really impressed with the volume of information you can access on the search engine. I am really glad I went to both this session and the Third Party Study Abroad Session earlier in the semester, because both of these sessions will be really beneficial to me in my college career. 

     One thing I wanted to point out was the amount of information you need to know when working and living in a different country. There is information you need to be aware of that you didn’t even know you didn’t know. Alex Lane, the presenter, stated how convenient it is that all of this information is in one place, and I can definitely relate to this. A few years ago when my family traveled to Europe I tried to find cultural information about Paris, France before we traveled so it would be easier to get around. Unfortunately, I did not have much luck finding effective information, and a search engine like this would’ve been a huge help. 

     As Alex was going through the various information included on GoinGlobal, I got really excited to use the resource in the future. I am not in the place right now where I am looking for jobs or internships, but traveling abroad, much less applying for a job in a different country is a very daunting task. GoinGlobal provides current and detailed information that will help me to be prepared for my future endeavors which is very exciting.

On 11/12/2020 I attended the “Stress Less: Managing Academic Emotions and Increasing Resilience” workshop provided by the Dennis Learning Center. Earlier this semester I actually went to academic through the Dennis Learning Center, and it helped me so much. I was really struggling with time management and I learned lots of valuable tips and strategies that have helped me to become less stressed and more in control of my schedule. 

I really liked this workshop because I felt that the manner in which it was delivered paid special attention to the psychology of learning. This meaning, we would get a break to stand up and get a drink of water after every “objective” that was covered. This allowed us to have periodic rests for our brains so we didn’t have to be constantly focused for an hour straight. As  a result I believe I was able focus easily when information was being presented, because my brain had had some time to relax and reset. This made me think that more academic classes should be taught through this type of perspective. My microeconomics professor always gives us a five minute break in the middle of our one hour and 20 minute lecture. It definitely helps me to remain focused in the second half of the lecture, because at a certain point I feel like my brain kind of peters out, and it’s really difficult for me to continue absorbing new information. I feel like students would get a lot more out of their classes if more professors took just a few minutes in the middle of class to let students’ brains reset.

On 10/28/2020 I attended an IA community meeting that spotlighted the research and work of Dr. Ines Valdez. Dr. Valdez focuses on how race has become institutionalized by the government mainly by way of the workforce throughout history. Her area of study I found to be very interesting during the BLM movement the country is experiencing, since she really dives into the root of racism itself. 

One topic Dr. Valdez discussed was the assimilation of different races into the American workforce. I thought it was very interesting how every race at one point experienced discrimination due to their ethnicity, and for some races it was easier to blend in with “true Americans”. Dr. Valdez mentioned African-Americans, Asian- Americans, and Latino-Americans having a particularly difficult time blending into the more favored class in America. Additionally, she explained how many immigrants who were seen as less-than due to their race, were often used to break up fights between workers who had already assimilated into American culture, or technically, immigrants who had been in America longer. I found this ironic because the immigrants who were unable to assimilate into American culture were given the stereotype of being rough and uncivilized, while they were the ones breaking up the fights and maintaining peace between the “civil Americans”. I feel like this really highlights the hypocrisy that makes up a large part of American history. 

On 10/14/2020 I attended the zoom webinar titled “Popular Music and Social Activism Between South Korea and the US: From Civil Rights Protest Songs to K-Pop and Black Lives Matter.” The webinar was split into three parts, the first being a presentation from Dr. Phil Ho Kim about African American influences on civil rights movements in Korea. This was followed by Wonseok Lee’s presentation about the critical role K-Pop fans play in American politics, and how their role has evolved into such. The webinar concluded with a group discussion carried out by undergraduate students at Ohio State; in which they discussed the direct role K-Pop stars and their fans have in the American Black Lives Matter movement. 

After reading the title of the webinar, I was immediately enthralled. One of the most exciting things for me about attending a research university was the fact that people at OSU were conducting interdisciplinary studies; connecting ideas and topics that at first glance would seem unrelated, but upon closer examination are actually closely interrelated. This presentation portrayed two of my passions, political activism and music, as dependent and interactive ideas. When I learned about the research that takes place at Ohio State I was inspired to find a career that would connect these two topics, however, this webinar was the first time I ever witnessed someone performing research I could truly relate to, and see myself taking part in. At surface level, musical theater and international studies seem like two subject matters that have nothing in common. It has been difficult to reason continuing both of my passions, however, I felt like the webinar pushed me one step closer to discovering a way to converge both of my passions. 

That being said, I found the subject matter of the webinar extremely fascinating. I loved how the research transcended to each presenter. The information in each of the presenters’ works could’ve stood alone, however, once they combined all of their studies, the conclusions and ideas that came to fruition were profound. I think this was something very important to witness especially right now when people may feel isolated and secluded. It was a comfort to see that this diverse group of people were able to find each other, and collaborate to create a fascinating presentation about topics each individual is very passionate about. 

     On 9/29/2020 I attended the Third Party Education Abroad Programs Information Session. The session defined the different types of abroad programs that are offered at OSU, being faculty led programs, 3rd party programs, direct enrollment programs, and finally exchange programs. Probably since the session was focused on 3rd party programs, I left the zoom call feeling very sure that a third party program would be the best fit for me when I study internationally. I would definitely want the program I partake in to be immersive, however, since I am not bilingual, I think the support 3rd party programs offer would be very helpful to me. Additionally, I was really inspired by the wide range of majors that can partake in study abroad. Studying abroad is a huge part of an international studies major, but as a Freshmen, I’m not sure if my major will change and it’s very reassuring to know that even if it does there will still be opportunities for me. 

     Furthermore, the session made me feel very lucky that I was a 1st year, and not an upperclassmen. Ever since middle school I have wanted to travel abroad and I think it would be really difficult for that experience to be taken away from me. Especially since the session emphasized planning ahead, it made me realize that some students must have planned for several semesters in advance for trips that were canceled, and there unfortunately is just not alot anyone can do right now. 

On 9/8/2020 I attended the IA resource night. The presentation contained an ample amount of information about tutoring centers, what to expect from college classes, and helpful tips on how to save money in the first semester. COVID has made it difficult for me to explore and learn about the multitude of resources OSU offers. Since I have never experienced college before, my first few weeks in the dorms and experiencing life on campus have been really exciting. I think in some ways it’s easier for me since I don’t know what I’m missing out on. However, it also makes me sad because I don’t get the full OSU experience. Thankfully the weather is nice and I can do my homework outside, but it’s hard to know what buildings have open study spaces I can use. The fact that my classes are mostly online doesn’t bother me, I’ve found that they are much more structured than my classes in my last semester of High School. There is definitely a large homework load, but I had a heavy load in High School too so I’ve been able to manage pretty well so far. In a way it’s also nice to have something to do; something to keep me busy since a lot of events have either been cancelled or moved to zoom.