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I went to this panel because I didn’t really know what I was going to do for my second years’ projects. I did brainstorm some ideas but I don’t have anything I am seriously considering so I thought going to this meeting will be helpful. But I now realized that interning was an option, I do not know why I didn’t think about it. I thought it had to be associated with my STEP. But I think one thing that I learned is that I need to be persistent because one of the girls said she was not able to reach the organization as quickly which made the process longer. So I need to take into account the time it will take to communicate with those I need to get an internship. Also having the presentation slide examples makes the project seem less daunting. I feel like at times you can feel overwhelmed by all the requirements but seeing this made me realize it’s not that bad. This panel also made me realize that I am going to have to put more work into this in order to get the project I want. I thought this was something that I could do easily but this reminded me that I need to set time aside to figure what my project is going to be about.

I went to this meeting because after everything that happened last year with the emergence of COVID and the death of George Floyd which started multiple protests around the country. I know that a lot of people lost faith in the American government including myself. So I wanted to hear the solution these 5 panelists had. One thing that stuck out to me was what Mrs. Denby said which was “there was never a democracy, to begin with, it was always non-existent because there are two Americas.” This is extremely true because there are those in America who have to fight for their right to belong and to sit at certain tables while other individuals can easily get these rights, based off of systemic racism built into our government. As a black woman, I will always have to realize that others have an advantage over me and I might not be the first choice because one, I am an African American, and two I am also a woman. I know change is coming it only a matter of time and will I be here to see this change. I think our government can change for the better and cater to everyone’s needs regardless of their culture, skin color, and socioeconomic status. As Professor Raadschelders said, “democracy is not broken but people need to have self-restraint.”And I firmly believe this.

I wanted to watch this zoo meeting because I did not know we had a food pantry or alliance that supplies food to students who can not afford the meal plan. I actually assume everyone on campus had a meal plan of some kind, I never thought that people couldn’t afford the meal plan. I don’t know why I made that assumption because it doesn’t make sense but I did. So I am glad this pantry exists and educates people on food insecurity because I know there’s a good amount of students who had the same thought process as myself. When you are so used to getting food from school, you assume everyone receives food or the same benefit as yourself and this is simply inaccurate. I also didn’t realize how many services the Student Wellness Center provided because I actually confused it with the Student Health Center. So I’m glad I saw this meeting because I never realize how many resources are at my disposal and I think this is the same with other students on campus. We underestimate the amount of resources we have on campus and this puts more stress on our mental health because we assume we have to do everything ourselves when there are people always willing to help.

Honestly, as a person whose whole family is in Africa, I actually know very little about Africa. This is very embarrassing to say but it’s very true. I have never even heard of Mauritania until I met Diewo. So I thought this zoom meeting would be very interesting so I can learn more about Africa.  Especially East Africa because I honestly don’t know much about East Africa. I think it’s cool how every region of Africa (west, central etc.) has similar cuisine just different names. I’m from West Africa and every time I meet someone from West Africa we always have the same cuisine just ways of making it. Also, I didn’t know there were 55 countries in Africa, I know Africa is big but wow. Just think about how every country has a different language and culture is amazing. It’s not like the United States where there’s a general culture throughout all the states. I think that’s why a lot of people think that all Africans are the same but this is false. There are so many cultures composed on this continent. After learning more about African countries in this zoom I want to know learn about all the counties in Africa. And perhaps minor in African American and African studies.

I have always wanted to talk to students who are in graduate school or have just graduate because I was always intrigued about how life was after you graduate college. I know how I want my life to look like but the journey between now and my end goal is really blurry right especially since I don’t know my major. So I just think it’s refreshing to interact with students to see how life is after OSU. One thing I have learned is to not stress if life does not go the way you planned it. It seems like a lot of the alumni didn’t really know what to do next after graduating or getting a job that they were actually interested in. I just feel reassured to know if your career doesn’t immediately take off after college, that doesn’t mean it won’t happen later on. One thing I know, I have to do before I leave Ohio State, is studying abroad. It seems like it really opens your eyes to new perspectives and makes you find new interests and for some realize what your passion is. Also, I really like Samantha Harris because she seems very blunt and tells you the way she sees it she really didn’t hold back.

I attend this zoom and I came to the realization that everyone always faces power struggle one way or another. My experiences in the United States with the Black Lives Matter movement clouded my judgment and made me believe that people only face police brutality because of the color of their skin. But the #ENDSAR movement has opened my eyes to realize you can face police brutality regardless of skin color, it’s only just more prominent in America that it’s based on skin color. Throughout history, we see the continuous pattern that those who are supposed to protect us are harming us for their own selfish reasons, and it is sickening. And the END SARS movement is so real to me because our family friend in Nigeria got robbed by the police force and they killed her brother-in-law and were about to kill her and her husband too but they did not.

When it comes to the beheading in France, I feel bad for those who were killed by Islamist extremists and I’m not trying to downplay their deaths. But when it comes to discussing someone else’s religion I think we should be mindful of the laws and regulations they have in place. Even if you want to celebrate a religious icon we should be mindful of the way Muslims worship and try to follow their guidelines. This does not mean that killing the teacher or the people who work for the magazine because that is not right. I worry that this will put more Muslims in a negative light because there’s already a stereotype against them and this reinforces their stereotypes.

I attended a zoom meeting about Immigration policy because I feel like immigration is a big issue in the world that has taken the back seat over the years as fewer people mention it on the news and social media. The operations of ICE are barely mentioned anymore and I felt like I needed to educate myself on the racial bias that occurs in programs meant to deal with immigrants. One of the presenters talked about a case where a woman was enslaved for decades by Salvadoran guerillas during the civil war until she escaped and came to the US for asylum. The judge denied her request under the bias that she helped a terrorist group through material support because she cooked and clean for them. In what world does this make sense, someone was taken against their will and was forced to do labor for a terrorist group, but this is seen as her being an accomplice. The reasoning behind this decision is dumb and it makes you realize they just did not want another “alien” in the US.

One of the presenters said something and I thought it was very true and is something that people often forget “immigration is not a choice, it is not an adventure. People don’t leave everything at 20, 40, or 50 years old to start all over in a country, where you don’t speak the language or culture. Or know what could be awaiting you when you arrive, which could be jail time.” I think a lot of people genuinely think that the majority of the immigrants in America or in other countries want to be there. But they have to realize, if the situation was better in their country they would not move to another place where they’ll face racism or feel like an outsider because you do not understand the culture. People want to better the lives of their families or themselves from the dangers that were present in their home country. If we claim that “everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person” as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Why do we stop people from coming into the United States?

I feel like every nation claims that they want to make the world a better place and help those in need, but when those in need come to their doorstep all of a sudden they are blind and cannot or will not see them. It is time we all practice what we preach and give everyone a fair chance at living to their full potential.

I attend Networking 101 zoom meeting to help me become more educated on how to connect with other professors and individuals who are in the field. I’m glad that I was not the only student who was hesitant or confused about how to connect with others. Especially when everything is online now, its harder to reach out and not be awkward. Since I’m in Public Health Explorations, networking seems more difficult because I really do not know what major I want to be or what specialization I’m looking for in this field. So it was helpful when he said think about what topic interests you and start gathering information on it so you can at least connect with someone who can lead you in the right direction. Since I’m minoring in psychology and I can start to research topics about psychology.

Another aspect I liked about this zoom meeting was the approach he took to make us fix our mindset about fear. Such as doing exercises to improve our approach to fear because fear is what holds us back the majority of the time. I appreciated this exercise because I feel like this is a helpful tool whenever I feel doubtful.

I have never been the one to watch the news willingly unless I’m with my parents and therefore I don’t really have a habit of keeping up with world news. Now that I want to become globally aware of what is happening in the world, I have to make it a point to always check the news and this is why I decided to watch Current News with Sam Zimmerman. I think it’s interesting how France’s maternity paid leave was only 14 days because honestly, that is not enough time for the mother to spend time with their child. If the mother is a single mother that needs money desperately, she’ll be rushing back to work in order to make enough money to provide for herself and the child. Another interesting event I learned was the new sanctions against arms sales in Iran. I had just read an article about the embargo the U.S. had on Iran and how it was unnecessary because Iran is not dangerous they just want to level the playing field because they’re behind when it comes to their nuclear weapons and just weapons in general. I just think its interesting to see both perspectives of the issue.

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