For my final event, I chose the last current events catch up of the fall semester with International Affairs academic chair Sam Zimmerman. The first event that was discussed was about the hurricanes in Latin America. This was a major international event that I was surprised that I never heard about. After watching the recording, I researched a little more on this topic. I learned that Hurricane Iota was only the second Atlantic Category 5 hurricane to ever happen in November. The last since 1932. As Sam mentioned in the video, this hurricane happened just a few weeks after Hurricane Eta, a Category 4, wreaked havoc on these countries. I do believe that the countries were more prepared the second time around, and it lead to less fatalities. The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active ever on record. I have to assume that this is because of climate change. It will be interesting to see in the future what these governments do to combat climate change. I am also curious to see what the hurricanes did to coronavirus case numbers. I read reports of overcrowded shelters with no social distancing and limited mask wearing. This will almost certainly increase the rate of transmission in these countries. If I attended the meeting live, I would have asked about how these countries were dealing with hurricanes and a pandemic all at once.

I was excited to see that there was another current events catch up with International Affairs academic chair Sam Zimmerman. I was also glad that there was more good news this time, like the endangered Loa frogs reproducing. The first event that was discussed was a beheading of a high school teacher in France. The teacher showed cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, which is extremely offensive to Muslims. I am nervous that it will lead to more Islamophobia in France. It is important to remember that these acts of extremism are not supported by the vast majority of Muslims. Even though Mr. Paty advised Muslim students to leave before showing the image, I don’t think he should have shown the cartoon in the first place out of respect for his students. I also don’t believe that showing a depiction of the Prophet Mohammad should be considered free speech, because it extremely offensive to Muslims. In my opinion, it is more in line with hate speech, because it targets a certain religion which forbids these images. If I attended this event live, I would have brought up the topic of if showing a depiction of the Prophet Mohammad is considered hate speech or free speech.

I enjoyed watching the recording about current events with the academic chair Sam Zimmerman. It was refreshing to hear about what is happening in the world right now that is not necessarily related to the coronavirus. I definitely used to be more up to date on what was going on in the world before the pandemic. I was also glad that not all the news we covered was bad. I think it is great that France increased its paternity leave. In society, the mother is usually the primary caregiver. France and the European Union are sending a message that the father should have a more active role in the child’s caretaking. I hope that this initiative prevents job discrimination against mothers, because some people unfortunately have the notion that a woman can’t be a good employee while also being a good mother. If I had attended this live, I would have asked Sam for the reason on why men are required to take at least one week off after their babies are born. It was also interesting to learn that Australia was going through its first recession in nearly three decades. I used to like economics in high school, so it was nice to talk about it related to International Affairs. I hope that semester I can attend a current events night live.

I really enjoyed watching this event and hearing everyone’s input on different events that are happening around the world. This event directly relates to International Affairs Scholars, because it is about current events around the world. This event somewhat relates to my Introduction to Sociology class, because these events have a lot to do with how society reacts to large social changes. I feel like I gained personally from this event, because I learned so much more about what is going on in the world and realized that I should pay more attention to current events. Sam covered a lot of topics in her presentation. I liked taking the mini quiz at the beginning, even though I only got three of them right. Sadly, I didn’t find it all that surprising that leaders in Russia and Hungary were using the coronavirus to take more control over there people. However, I wish that this got more attention in the media, because the leaders of Russia and Hungary should be condemned. I think that it is crazy that the word “coronavirus” is banned in Turkmenistan and they are claiming that they have no cases of it. I wonder what they think they are getting out of this extreme level of censorship.

It was nice to learn about summer research opportunities from Joselle. I definitely want to participate in research opportunities next summer. However, I was unsure on how to how to find research. I think this event somewhat related to International Affairs  Scholars, because, as Steven pointed out, it can be a resource to look over applications and personal statements. I am glad that there is finally an event that is mainly for STEM majors. I feel like I gained academically and professionally from this event, because it is essential for me to do research in order to go to medical school. I learned that you can get paid for summer research and also that you sometimes can’t take classes during the summer. Joselle also listed a ton of resources to find research programs and get help with personal statements. A really interesting tip she had was to make sure to ask a professor for a strong letter of recommendation and waive your right to see it. I would have never known that if she had not brought that up. If I watched the event live, I wish I could have asked her if she did any research during the school year.

February 8, 10 am – 12 pm, Huckleberry House

Before attending this event, I had no idea what the Huckleberry House was or what they did. I feel like this event impacted me positively, because it partially restored my faith in humanity. I did not realize there was a program for disadvantaged teens and young adults to help solve serious problems, such as homelessness, drug abuse, domestic abuse and mental health, and also temporarily house them. It is good that these teens and young adults have trained professionals who are in their corner. When we got to the house, we got a quick tour of the downstairs. I thought it was interesting that they are required by law to have the same weekly menu. It was nice to know that they have free access to the food pantry whenever they are hungry. Our service was cleaning all the rooms on the first floor. It did not take to long to do because the rooms were already relatively clean. One of the coolest things that I saw was that the singer, Jason Mraz, painted a mural in one of the play rooms. I feel like I gained personally from helping others. This event did not relate to International Affairs or my coursework.

January 11, 5:30 pm to 8 pm, Smith Steeb Hall – Sky Lounge

Before this event, I really dreaded going. I though it was going to be an extremely boring event. Thankfully, it ended up being pretty interesting. I really feel like I gained academically and personally from the event. This relates to International Affairs Scholars, because the event was hosted by some of the people on the Leadership Council. This was the first time I got to interact with some of them. We played a Kahoot on how we felt about certain Ohio State related academic and personal things. After each question, we would have a discussion about it. It was nice to hear everyones personal stories about each of the issues. I especially liked the LC’s stories about spending too much time studying and trying to get perfect grades, because I related. They gave advice on giving yourself personal time everyday. They also recommended not doing homework on Friday nights, because it is important to have fun sometimes. I plan are using their advice, so I can be more fulfilled in my life. I also enjoyed the burrito, chips and guacamole. I feel like this event relates to studying for my other classes. I have no questions for the speakers.

Lazenby Hall Room 021 5:45 to 6:45 PM (Academic)

This was the first event that I had gone to for International Affairs that actually related to STEM majors. I am pre-med and participating in research is essential in order to be a competitive applicant for med school. I was excited to learn about how to participate in research. However, I was extremely disappointed with the event and thought that it was not very helpful. Half of the panel were graduate students who had either not participated in research as an undergraduate or attended another school as undergraduate. They talked about their graduate research experience, which is very different than undergraduate research. There were also some undergraduates on the panel who were much more helpful. They explained how to look up professors and see what research they are doing. They also explained how to do an interview. Most of the undergraduates on the panel had started research their first semester of freshman year of college. This made me feel like I was behind. Also, some of them claimed to work 40 hours a week in the lab during the school year, which does not seem possible. Later that week in my survey class, we went over how to participate in research. I feel like they presented it much better. I learned that most students don’t participate in research their first year or work anywhere near 40 hours a week during the school year.

North Market 5:30 to 6:30 PM (Social)

The Final Friday Dinner was an event that I had been looking forward to for a while. I was excited to try some new food, explore Columbus and hang out with my fellow International Affairs scholars. When we got there, I was amazed to see the variety of cultures and countries represented. There was Indian, Polish, Tibetan and Thai cuisine among other countries represented. I was overwhelmed by all the choices I had, that I unfortunately chose the safe option, Italian. I got pizza from Sarefino’s. This event relates to International Affairs, because we got to experience food from different regions of the world. I feel like I gained personally from this event, because I found a good place in Columbus to eat food. I hope to return to the  North Market with friends in the future. I also feel like I gained from this event professionally, because I got to ask Audrey Montgomery some questions about being a University Ambassador. She explained to me how to apply and what the job entails. I plan on applying for the position over the summer, so I can make some extra money while I go to school.

Wexner Center for the Arts 8:15 to 10:00 PM Saturday, September 28 (Social)

The party at the Wexner Center of the Arts made me gain a greater appreciation for the arts. Before this event, I did not realize how great the art at the Ohio State University was. At the event, we got to walk through the art gallery and see all the different exhibits. All of the art was made by students, but I think it could have been in any art museum. The art was very abstract and some of it was interactive. A lot of the artwork took up entire rooms. We also go to see other forms of art, such as music and dance. We watched a performance by a group of cellos. My favorite part of the night was watching a dance performance by a dance troupe. They were very energetic and fantastic dancers. We also got free pizza and Jeni’s  ice cream, which is always a perk of these events. I feel like I gained the most form this event personally, because it was a good chance to socialize and connect with my fellow International Affairs scholars. Even though this event didn’t relate to the topic of International Affairs or my major, I am glad that I went.