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DISPLAYced Exhibit and Celebration (Social, Academic)

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I attended the DISPLAYced Exhibit and Celebration art show on March 27, 2019.  This event was held from 5-6pm, and was located at TRISM.  This exhibit displayed art that was created by refugee and immigrant artists.  Columbus is home to an abundance of immigrants and refugees from all around the world, including countries in Africa and Middle East areas.

The artwork that was displayed today was truly amazing.  One of the pieces that truly captured my eye was a silhouette of a refugee.  The silhouette was shiny and black, and it allowed you to see your own reflection in it.  I thought this was remarkable because it ties together the fact that we are similar to refugees and immigrants in many ways.  This piece of artwork literally allowed you to see yourself in this refugee, which we should try to do on a daily basis with people.  The silhouette made me realize that I probably have many things in common with refugees, and that I should have an open mind towards them.  It is always good to find similarities between yourself and others, but also to appreciate the differences you both have.

Another piece that capture my attention was a huge oil painting of a man laying down in what appeared to be dead grass.  His body was covered in scrapes and scars.  This painting showed me the pain and hardships that refugees must face every single day, especially on their journeys to flee their home countries.  It made me feel sad but also encouraged to help make a difference in these peoples’ lives.

Overall, I enjoyed coming to this event.  I got to see my good friends Audrey, Kelsie, and Hayden.  I don’t see them as often this year, so it was fun going to this event together and experiencing this powerful artwork together.  It was fun to talk about the different pieces that we saw and to share our point of views with one another.  This event also helped me get out of the bubble that I have been in lately and forced me to think about the struggles but also triumphs that people around the world face every day.  DISPLAYced made me appreciate the country that I was lucky enough to be born into, and made me want to welcome refugees coming to the United States with open arms.

 

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Mirrors Event (Service)

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I volunteered at the Mirrors service event on February 17, 2019.  This event took place in the Ohio Union in the Performance Hall.  It lasted from 7-10pm, but I was only there from 7-8:30pm.

Before going to this event, I was unaware of what Mirrors was.  I quickly learned that they volunteer at The James Cancer Center.  This really interested me because I am majoring in Health Sciences and hope to someday work at a hospital like The James.  Everyone was required to donate five dollars in order to attend this event, and all proceeds were donated to The James.

The night began with food being provided for us and an opening entertainment act by Scarlet Fever A Cappella group.  Then a guest speaker from The James spoke to us.  He mentioned his struggle with breast cancer, and how he not only survived from it, but he is thriving in life now.  He told us all how important volunteers are at The James.  He said that volunteers help brighten their days, and make the struggle with cancer a little brighter.  It was encouraging to hear him say this.  I have volunteered at hospitals in the past, and it is nice to know that my service truly does make a difference in someone else’s life.

After his speech was over, my table started making red and gray blankets for the patients at The James.  I know that these blankets will help keep the patients more comfortable, and will also make them feel appreciated and cared for.  This was my favorite service event that I have attended this year.  I think that Mirrors is a great organization and it made me passionate about getting involved at The James, too.

While I was at this event, it made me wonder how cancer patients are treated around the world.  I wondered how good cancer treatment is in various countries, and whether or not patients are getting the proper care that they need.  We are so fortunate to have amazing hospitals such as The James to take care of us and our families in times of need, but other countries are not as fortunate.  I think that it would be great if some of the resources we have, even small things such as blankets and hats, could be sent to other cancer patients around the world that do not have these comfort items.

 

Institute for Population Research Seminar on Public Health ft. Eric Sieber (Non-IA)

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I attended the Institute for Population Research Seminar on Public Health ft. Eric Sieber on January 8, 2019.  This event was located in Townsend Hall, Room 38, and took place from 12:30-1:30 pm.

Mr. Sieber’s presentation was about Medicaid and the disparities between native and immigrant child having health insurance.  He noted that if immigrant parents had health insurance coverage, then they were likely to have coverage for their children as well.  In some states, Medicaid is readily available and accessible to both native and immigrant families, along with their children.  There is not much a difference between native and immigrant children when it comes to percentages of children that are uninsured; the same percentage of children are uninsured, whether they are native or immigrants.  In other states that do not have Medicaid readily available, the disparities are great.  More immigrant children are not insured compared to native children; around 36% of immigrant children were uninsured in Utah, and only 15% of native children were uninsured in this state.

Mr. Sieber’s talk was interesting because it shed light on the disadvantages that immigrants have in the United States.  Access to Medicaid is only one of those disadvantages.  I found this topic especially intriguing because I hope to enter into the medical field as my future profession, and it was eye-opening to see how many immigrant children do not have health insurance.  I specifically wish to work with children in the future, and it’s awful that some are not protected by some sort of medical insurance.  It is extremely important to have medical insurance, and I hope that maybe one day I can help these immigrant children who do not have the same accessibility to these services.

While this talk was interesting and opened me up to topics and data that I have not yet been exposed to, I was also confused by Mr. Sieber’s jargon at times.  There were a fair amount of topics that he was discussing that I was not knowledgable on, and this made me want to look into this issue further in order to fully understand what’s happening in our country.  I hope to expose myself more to our countries challenges concerning medical care, and to become more globally aware of medical issues as well.

 

Zoo Lights at the Columbus Zoo (Service)

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This evening, November 16, 2018, I attended the Zoo Lights at the Columbus Zoo.  In order to be able to enter the zoo, instead of paying, people were donating five or more canned goods.  I donated five canned goods in order to attend this event as well.  These canned goods were being donated to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank.  With the seasons coming up, it is important to remember those who may need a little extra help along the way.  Not everybody can afford to place a meal on their table for their families; that is why food banks are so important.  Food banks allow parents to feed their children, for people to be able to have meals throughout the week, so that they do not go hungry.  It is important as a community to be aware that others need help, and to work together to help provide for those in need.  The Columbus Zoo put on a great event in order to help contribute to this local food bank.  Personally, I found this experience extremely rewarding.  It gave me an amazing feeling knowing that I was helping out people and families in need.  Five cans seems like a small amount of food, but it can make a world’s difference for some families.  Those five cans add up; if everyone contributed just a little bit to causes like these, the outcomes would be amazing.  I am curious to see how many cans the Columbus Zoo was able to collect from people.  It seemed as though many people were donating canned goods, which was a good sign.  I wonder how many families this event will help feed as well.  People in the United States aren’t the only people in need of food and resources, but helping out at the local food bank is a good place to start.  It would be cool if the Columbus Zoo could eventually spread their horizons and find a country across the world that is in need, and work towards donating goods for those people.  The Columbus Zoo is such a huge organization and has the resources to make a project like this happen.  Overall, I enjoyed attending this event because I was able to give back to others.

Epimonia Event ft. Mohamed Malim (Non-IA)

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The event that I attended tonight was called Epimonia, and was presented by Mohamed Malim.  I attended this on October 16, 2018, and it was located in Stillman Hall 100.  Mohamed Malim is from Kenya.  He was born in a refugee camp after his parents fled from the civil war in Somalia.  Mohamed Malim’s organization supports refugees in America.  He makes bracelets from recycled refugee life jackets and donates the money to refugee organizations.  He is also hoping to create other products, such as AppleWatch bands, in order to raise even more money for the refugees in American.  His company name, Epimonia, means perseverance in Greek.  This name is extremely appropriate for this organization because refugees have to persevere in order to make it through their difficult journey.   I was extremely touched and inspired by this presentation.  It was very eye-opening when he said that he was literally moved to Texas with no resources and his family had to start their life from scratch.  It made me feel extremely blessed and lucky to live the life that I have, and also made me want to help the refugee families that are experiencing relocation.  His bracelets are sold online, through his Instagram account, and this is a great way to give back to people in need.  I have heard about refugees quite frequently throughout my time here at Ohio State, but I have not heard an actual refugee give a presentation before.  This felt more personalized and it was great to hear about refugees from the actual perspective of a first-hand refugee.  After attending this event, I want to research more on how to support people that are experiencing relocation to new countries.  This cannot be an easy process, but if there is any way that I can help, I am eager to do so.

Education Abroad Expo (Academic)

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I attended the Education Abroad Expo  on September 4, 2018, in the Archie Griffin Ballroom of the Union.  This event relates to the topic of International Affairs because it centers around sending students to countries all over the world to study various topics.  One thing that I gained from this event was learning about the field studies programs.  A woman talked with me about how these trips, which go to Australia, Bhutan, Costa Rica, Tanzania, Panama, and Turks and Caicos, integrate the possibility to observe animals in their natural habitats.  This is mainly a research opportunity, which is something that I personally would be interested in.  This event reminded me of a time last semester, in my biology class, when a TA talked about the research he did on animals in Antartica- his research seemed amazing, and it is exciting that there’s an opportunity for me to get involved in the same field of work.  Although this opportunity seems amazing, I am still wondering what kind of credits I would receive for going on this trip.  I do not want to go on a trip that wouldn’t count towards a credit that I need, and am wondering what this trip would count towards.

If I could design an ideal education abroad trip, I would choose to study in Greece, learning about some course that relates to Health Sciences.  I would choose Greece because it is an absolutely beautiful country.  When I wasn’t in the classroom, I would be at the beach and snorkeling  in the bright blue waters there.  I would want to be in a country where the people are friendly and the weather is good, and Greece seems to capture both of these expectations of mine.  Ideally, the course that I would take would cover one of my major classes for the Health Science program.  I would want to be working towards my degree, as well as spending time in a beautiful country.

This experience would open me up to the world and allow me to grow internally.  I have never been out of the country, and am eager to be experiencing new people and cultures.  This experience would also help me become more independent and learn how to travel by myself.  I want to gain the skills of being able to navigate around a new country and learn the means of transportation there.  I would want to be abroad 4 weeks at the most.  My sister has been gone 6 weeks before and that seems like too much time.  I feel like I would start to get homesick after a little while.  The experience would be amazing though, and spending four weeks abroad would push me out of my comfort zone and allow me to experience new things.

This event made me think about my Second Year Project, and I am considering looking into a study abroad program and doing my project on that.  I have always wanted to study abroad, and after attending this event, it has encouraged me to do further research on study abroad trips.

About Me

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Hi everyone!  My name is Vanessa Petranek and I am from Cincinnati, Ohio.  I have one sister named Rachael and two cats named Oreo and Jade.  I have the best parents who love me yet always push me to be the best version of myself.  I went to an all girl’s catholic high school called Mother of Mercy.  I was involved in cheerleading for all four years of my high school career.  I’m passionate about music and have been playing the piano since I was a kid.  I’ve always been super focused on school and strive to do my best work.  All of these parts to my past have helped shape who I am today. I hope to maintain a good GPA this year but also not to stress out too much over the workload.  I plan on joining the genetic counselor club.  I’m a biology major and intend to become a genetic counselor with that degree.

I identify myself as an intelligent girl in a STEM field.  I have ambition for what I hope to be in the future (a genetic counselor), and want to strive in the classroom to achieve this goal.  My current career as a biology major has not proven to be easy or work-free, but I am passionate about working in the medical field when I am finished with college which makes the hard workload now completely worth it.  I am excited to be learning new things in the chemistry lab and lecture; my studies so far at OSU have been amazing, and I am already looking forward to what the next few years hold.  I believe that I do stand out in my field because I am a woman.  I find it very empowering and inspiring when women go off to graduate school to fulfill their dreams of becoming a doctor or surgeon, and I hope to one day inspire other girls as well with my work in the medical field.

I hope to establish a good connection with genetic counselor’s and other resources during my next four years here.  The Undergrad Genetic Counseling Club has already been extremely helpful for me, and I hope to continue to establish relationships with people in my desired field.  At the end of these four years, I am hoping to get accepted into a graduate school for genetic counseling, where I will then complete two more years of schooling.  I chose to join International Affairs because I want to become more cultured and globally aware.  I know that there are medical issues present around the world, and I am interested in doing work to solve those issues, but I had no idea where to start with that.  International Affairs will make me aware to health situations around the world, and I hope that my degree here at OSU will make it possible for me to start trying to resolve those issues.

 

Year in Review

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[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

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[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc .
Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]