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Year in Review
During my sophomore year there have been a multitude of unexpected experiences and opportunities that I have taken advantage of which have had an impact on my life. One of these is my decision to participate in undergraduate research. Coming into college I was adamant about the fact that I did not want to participate in research of any kind. This year I was given the opportunity to participate with prominent scholars in the international field of sociology, as well as travel to Eastern Europe, and decided I would take advantage of this opportunity in order to experience a different side of my criminology major. Although I don’t believe I would want to participate in research as a career choice, I now know the benefits of research and look forward to this opportunity to make discoveries in the field of sociology. Additionally, one of the most exciting moments of this year was realizing just how wonderful it was to see the benefits of my hard work. At the beginning of 2016 I applied to over 10 different scholarships in order to fund my study abroad/research experience. This took not only a lot of time, but also a lot of coordination with professors in different countries in order to expand on my research topic. That being said, I now have almost my entire trip funded through scholarships and look forward to working this summer without needing to worry about money. It has shown me that although you may not be able to see the benefits of your accomplishments right away there will eventually be a positive outcome. In my opinion, this is an important lesson to remember when working towards a degree, especially if you are not certain in your choice of major or where you will work after college. Another unexpected, yet exciting realization that I made this year is that I am extremely far ahead in both of my majors. So far that I have the chance to possibly duel degree or minor in another field. Although I am not sure what I plan on doing at this exactly moment I am enthusiastic to have the occasion to expand on the many educational opportunities Ohio State has to offer.
G.O.A.L.S.
Global Awareness: Over the last two years I have had many opportunities to become globally aware. Majoring in Russian, most of my coursework includes a cultural aspect. I have also had the opportunity of traveling to Budapest, Hungary, Warsaw, Poland and Austria, Vienna last May through Ohio State University. During this experience I learned about the history, culture and language of Central and Eastern European countries in and around this area. This has given me the background and interest to continue with studies in and around Central and Eastern Europe, including Russia, Hungary and Poland.
Original Inquiry: During the 2016 summer semester I will be studying abroad in Warsaw, Poland where I will be working on a research project at the Academy of Sciences. There I will be working with Professor Kazimierz M. Slomczynski, a prominent scholar in Sociology, on a research project that is looking at the development of democracy in post-socialist societies. I hope to submit this research project, in the form of an article, to the Journal of Undergraduate Research.
Academic Enrichment: Growing up in a small town in West Virginia, I always wanted to visit places bigger than where I came from. In high school, I thought that by taking language classes of French, Spanish and Latin I was becoming more knowledgeable about the cultures and histories of the world. Consequently, I matriculated to Ohio State and my education expanded. Realizing that I had only learned about one part of the world, specifically Western Europe, and neglected — as many do — Central and Eastern Europe, I went in a new direction: I chose Russian language as a major. I knew little about the Russian language, history or culture, but after finishing my third semester of college I am enthusiastic to go even more in-depth about Russia and other post-Communist countries in and around Central and Eastern Europe.
Leadership Development: For the past two semesters I have been a mentor to a new member of the International Affairs Scholars. During this time I have attempted to lead by example for my mentees as well as being a valuable resource for them. From 2011 through 2014 I was also a section leader in my high school marching band, where I had the responsibility of making sure everyone was prepared for practices and performances in my section
Service Engagement: Over the past two years I have participated in multiple service opportunities. For example, Summit on 16th is a church located behind High Street where we cleaned up the church grounds and planted new bushes. I also helped at the Nationwide Children’s Marathon and helped collect money for Buckeyethon.
Career
My career ambition is to work for a United States federal agency in matters of national security, such as the FBI, CIA, or Department of Defense. To achieve these goals, I need to understand better how Slavic countries such as Russia and Poland view the United States, and the diplomatic relations between them and the US. A social science perspective will allow a useful interpretation of history and current events. Working for the Federal Government would allow me to see the world, use my language skills, and be proactive in changing the way we, as a nation, react to situations in both the United States and trouble-spots around the world.
Artifacts
Budapest, Hungary
During the summer of 2015 I travel, with the Global May Hungary program at OSU, to Budapest, Hungary. I stayed for a month taking classes at the Budapest College of Communication and Business. This artifact represents my first extended trip abroad, as well as my first time studying in another country. While there I learned not only about the history of Budapest, Hungary and the surrounding countries, but also about traveling on my own and making decision without the reliance of others. I made contacts within the city, friends that I still talk to today and experiences that will help guide me for the rest of my life. It has taught me to be independent and take every opportunity that comes my way because you don’t know when you will get the next chance.
Russian Table
Since coming to Ohio State, I have been looking for ways to get involved in my majors. One of the best opportunities that I have taken advantage of is Russian Conversation Hour. This is a round table discussion once a week for anyone interested or taking Russian to get a chance to use their conversation skills in a relaxed environment. Not only is this a great way to practice speaking, but it is also an amazing opportunity to meet others at OSU with the same interests at me. It is also a great resource to overcome reservations about speaking out in classes or in public. At these meetings, everyone is given an opportunity to speak and is provided help if necessary. Russian Table has helped me improve my language skills, as well as improve my confidence in speaking a foreign language in front of others.
Sociology of Terrorism Term Paper
Neville_SocofTerrorismFinalPaper
This past semester I was enrolled in a Sociology of Terrorism class for my Criminology major. This class was a great learning experience for me, not only because it was talking about pertinent information in todays society, but also because it gave me the experience of writing a large term paper. Over the course of the semester, I had to write a twelve page term paper on a topic of my choosing. I decided to write about the differences between the CIA and FBI’s views and actions towards counter-terrorsim. This information is extremely relevant to what I hope to some day be involved in and therefore was a great introduction into the world of government agencies and their involvement in counter-terrorism. It was also a great introduction towards writing a large paper without becoming overwhelmed by the enormity of the project.
Research In Warsaw, Poland
Recently I have been accepted to the Summer School in Social Sciences in Warsaw program, which is an OIA approved program where students from OSU travel to Warsaw, Poland for a month during the summer in order to work on a research project with prominent professors at the Polish Academy of Sciences. During this program I will be working with Pro
fessor Slomczynski on a research project titled “Legacies of the Communist Era: Nomenklatura, Solidarity, and Support for Democracy in Poland, 1988 – 2013”. Through this project I hope to answer the research question, “To what extent do political biographies from the post-State Socialist era in Poland influence their attitudes toward democracy?” by looking at data collected through the Polish Panel Survey (POLPAN). POLPAN is a survey administered to Polish citizens every five years in order to record changes in the social structure. From this experience I plan to not only make beneficial connections within the international academy world of sociology, but to create a research project that I will submit to the OSU Undergraduate Research Journal.
Midwest Slavic Conference
This semester I attended the Midwest Slavic Conference, which was held at Ohio State and included over 30 different panels, which discussed multiple topics surrounding Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. There were a number of different themes this year, including, but not limited to, Russian Perceptions and Ideologies, Sociological and Moral Dilemmas, Russian Foreign Policy, History of Slavic and Early 20th Century Russian History. I attended the panel on Disputed Narratives, which included four presentations by undergraduates from around the country, including one undergraduate from Ohio State. The specific topics of this panel included a presentation on Jan Hus and the reasons behind his being called Proto-Protestant and Czech Nationalist, one on the Suppression of Polyphony in The Soul of Russia, another on the impact of Holland and England on Peter the Great, and finally on Germany’s failure on the eastern front during WWII.
Price of Honor
This past semester I took a class titled Gender, Crime and the Criminal Justice System as a criminology major elective. During this class I read the book Price of Honor: Muslim Women Lift the Veil of Silence on the Islamic World by Jan Goodwin, which is about the author’s travels throughout a multitude of Islamic dominated countries in order to interview women in multiple classes and social situations. This had an immeasurable impressionon my ideas surrounding Islam by looking at the difference between distinctive versions of Islam. More specifically this book looked at the consequences fundamental Islam has had in multiple situations through comments and stories told by Islamic wom
en living in these Middle Eastern countries. It shows numerous points of view on the situations throughout the Middle East and gives readers background on the countries and political situations. Overall, this book was an extremely interesting and life changing read that allowed me to see a glimpse of the Islamic world not portrayed through the United States media, but through the eyes of those living in it.
About Me
My name is Alyssa Neville. I grew up and went to school in Wellsburg, WV before moving to Wintersville, OH in 2014. I am a sophomore, double majoring in Russian and Criminology at The Ohio State University. I am also a member of MUNDO (Multiculturalism and Understanding through Non-traditional Discovery Opportunities) and the International Affairs Scholars program at OSU. Recently, I studied abroad in Hungary through the Global May program here at OSU. During the experience I took classes in Budapest, Warsaw and Vienna. I am interested in different cultures and histories. I also love to travel to new places.