This month for my service credit I decided to check out the global engagement night. I had heard many things about this event that runs pretty regularly last year and so when face with the choice of what I was gonna do this semester I wanted to check it out. It was held in the Enarson classroom building room 160, which is also where they hold meetings for information sessions on studying abroad. I also thought what better way to enjoy the night then to help out and volunteer. It ended being a pretty simple night, with myself and a few other students doing random task assigned to us and just being a set of hands where it was needed but the best part of the night for me was getting to partake in the engagement aspect of the night and getting to be surrounded in community of students who have similar passions and beliefs as I do. I am planning to study abroad next semester too so this night not only helped me fulfill my IA requirements but I also got to go talk to many specific travel abroad program coordinators and they helped me work through where I want to go and what I want to study which was crucial to helping me along in not only my STEP program but also my IA second year project which will go hand in hand. I got to meet students who were also interested in going abroad and that was something that was super cool, I met a girl named Mega who wants to go on the same trip as me and so now we are going to try and coordinate getting on the same travel abroad trip. This event also tied in well to the IA experience because I am continuing to surround my self in community of multi cultural students or students who desire to have a more inclusive and welcoming personality here at OSU. it was great to hear from individuals on what the University is doing to address those needs and also to hear about the really cool trips and expansions the IA department at OSU is doing through study abroad. I gained allot academically attending this event because I got to encounter and learn more about what makes this university so unique and what it is doing to continue to advance its international engagement. It also helped me gain insights into what are some specific strategies on handling this second year project as I got to talk to a junior about what she did which was cool. It also felt really good to have helped out with stuff even though it was so little. After attending the event I left myself with a few questions, mainly information about study abroad. I wanted to know where I could access the scholarships for study abroad information for not only the department of IA but also my college (arts and sciences) and also third party scholarships. I also wanted to sit down and ask some questions to an advisor about where exactly I want to go abroad. Overall this experience was very fascinating and one I enjoyed thoroughly.

For my event of the month I choose to go to the Global Engagement night on Tuesday Jan 8th. It was in the Enarson building, These nights are so fun and Ive been to some in the past. Specifically this was relevant for me recently because I have been gathering all my information on my Maymester abroad this summer and Ive been trying to talk to as many Experts and Advisors as I can to learn how to be prepared to the full. This experience always proves to be productive and helpful and again Ive found that to be the case. I got to talk to Professor Gargus who is my trip leader fo my study abroad and we basically got to chat for a while during the event about not only my trip, but my STEP project and my IA project because they are hand in hand and deal with my trip to Europe. I am always looking for personal experiences and one on one time with professors because I believe there is so much more depth to a conversation and I believe it leaves a lasting impression on them. That is why I love these global engagement nights, Im in Enarson so much anyways, why not go for a night and get free food out of it? They are No brainers!! I highly recommend these to first years as they help so so much to get a feel for the many opportunities there are outside this university and around the world. I am always impressed by the vast diversity in culture and ethnicity here at the University and its always so fun to meet friends from all over the place and have those connections. I got to meet Xio, who lives in China, and is studying abroad here. I got to hear about her experience and everything she’s felt about OSU and more broadly the USA. We got lunch this week and Im hopeful that this friendship will continue and now Ill have a friend that I can go and visit in China. That is what is great about our large University and dedicated IA department at the University for providing nights like these. I always value how seriously our University takes Diversity and the work they do to uphold and enhance it, even more so the work they do to educate students and keep them informed but also provide opportunities to encounter different cultures first hand. That is what I am so hopeful for my study abroad and why I was so excited to work with IA Scholars, I want the opportunity to encounter these cultures first hand, its one thing to sit and listen but another to actually encounter for yourself the many cultures that exist. This event was very informative and incredibly helpful for me to continue to build connections and get more excited and prepared for my study abroad this may. I loved getting the opportunity to talk to Professor Jackie and also to meet my new friend Xio. I would definitely recommend to a first year.

For my 3rd and final IA activity I went and attended my 2nd global engagement night. I have always enjoyed going to these nights as they provide me with excitement about whats going on in and around campus especially with the culturally active people. This event was at 6:00 pm in the enarson building and was such a blast. The best part of the night for me was getting to partake in the engagement aspect of the night and getting to be surrounded in community of students who have similar passions and beliefs as I do. I actually got some time to talk to a professor about where I am studying abroad and she told me more about the program, the professors, and the places I would be going too. She gave me loads of tips and put me in contact with the professor who runs the whole program. Every time I go to a global engagement night I am always floored by the amount of connections and experiences Ohio state has to offer and how cultural active and aware most students are. It is consistently amazing to see such powerful efforts by students on this campus and that is something truly unique and hard to find at some colleges. I gained allot academically attending this event because I got to encounter and learn more about what makes this university so unique and what it is doing to continue to advance its international engagement. After attending these nights time and time over it just gets me so excited to get involved in many osu clubs and programs that are continuing to advance the work of these organizations. That why I truly love being an IA student because it is so in-tune and engaged into the growing modern world and the immense diversity at this prestigious university and the students in the program continue to strive to keep inclusive open-minded attitudes in there relational connections with other students. I also enjoy these nights because they provide me with really cool and unique stories with different students who just have really cool backgrounds. I met a girl at global engagement night named Fatima and she was born in West Africa and has the coolest story about her transition to America. We’ve become close friends since and continue to stay in close contact. She talks so highly of the university and the  way its made her feel so welcomed and included. This global engagement night also made me want to get more involved with USG and that organization. I
was involved heavily my freshman year and haven’t really been able to go as much this year, but I served on the Diversity and Inclusion council there and the act of service and petitions they have been working on are really intriguing and the team there works so hard to continue to advance this university in every way they can. Overall though, This engagement night was filled with so many cool people, ideas, and information on how to get more involved and has inspired me to be more informed and engaged with this community and is something I hope to do next semester.

[The Home Page will show a running blog of your recent posts, which are categorized and show on that category’s page. Please delete this post or edit with your own information.]