Year in Review

This year was a good one for me. I finally felt fully comfortable and confident as a student at Ohio State. On a personal level, I have lived on my own for two years now and can actually cook a decent meal and I know how to pay taxes! I ran my second half marathon on a chilly morning, and learned how to climb a rock wall. I got closer with my friends, most of whom I met through my International Affairs Scholars’s program.

But academically and career-wise, my growth has been even more pronounced. This year started with a trip to India, which convinced me that I really enjoy traveling and learning about religion, and that I can handle 100+ degree Fahrenheit temperatures. I got myself a year ahead in 7 weeks in Arabic, with a summer intensive program.  I took some amazing political science classes, and became confident enough to speak up more in class and actually go to office hours to get to know my professors. I approached a few of my professors about research, something that I hope to assist with next fall and to start my own next spring.

I started my strategic communications major and learned how to write in AP Style, which opens up a lot of internship doors at PR firms or media outlets. I wrote not one but two 1000 word papers in Arabic, and read a handful of novels written by Arab feminists. After a long and stressful wait, I won funding to study Arabic in Morocco for eight weeks abroad, an experience that I look forward to with equal parts excitement and nervousness. I read grant proposals with several hundred other women at the Women’s Fund of Central Ohio, and I job shadowed a brilliant lawyer at an oral argument. I discovered that I like Ohio Politics and working in the legislature, but that I LOVE teaching citizenship classes to immigrants and refugees who are seeking naturalization. I enjoyed teaching so much that it has made me consider applying for a Fulbright to teach English abroad, and to pursue a career in higher education and teach people for a living.

 

The Iran Project

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Thanks to an invitation from political science department chair Professor Rick Hermann to CCWA, a club in which I participate, I was able to go and listen to two foreign policy experts, Jessica Tuchman Matthews, and Richard Nephew speak about the Iran Deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action). Jessica is a senior fellow for the Carnegie Endowment for Peace, and Richard worked in the White House and was a negotiator during the Iran talks. He now works for the Brookings Institute.  This event was in a conference room in the Student Union, so it was very intimate and we were able to ask these experts a lot of questions.

 

This event was fascinating to me because both of the speakers have had career paths that I hope to duplicate some day. Additionally, I have done a lot of class projects and papers involving Iran, even acting as the Iranian president during a simulation game in Dr. Hermann’s Strategies of War and Peace class. I learned a lot about Iran’s domestic politics, and the implications of the JCPOA on both Iran and the rest of the world. The smallness of the event also gave me some extra time at the end to network and introduce myself to the speakers.

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Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe Event

The Ohio Union Activities Board hosts soccer World Cup champions Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe in the Ohio Union at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday March 28, 2016. (Andrew Bruening/Ohio State University Office of Student Life)

The Ohio Union Activities Board hosts soccer World Cup champions Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe in the Ohio Union at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday March 28, 2016. (Andrew Bruening/Ohio State University Office of Student Life)

 

On March 28, 2016, I went to a talk with two of my personal heroes and decorated athletes Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe. These two have won world cups and Olympic gold medals, and have inspired a generation of girls like me to play soccer, proving to us that we can be just as tough, if not tougher as the boys. They spoke about soccer, but also about gender equality in the game. The women’s team is paid significantly less than the men’s team, although the women’s team has a much better record. The men’s team is actually paid more for losing than the women’s team is for winning. Since these two players also happened to identify with the LGBTQ community, they also spoke about what it was like to be an ‘out’ athlete.

I loved this event because I played soccer for twelve years as a kid and followed the Women’s National Team religiously. If Abby Wambach scored a goal with her head, I would make my parents go in the backyard and kick me balls to practice heading into the goal. I wore their jerseys and wanted to be just like them some day. However, a few concussions later, I was off the soccer track. While I had always been a feminist, it was not until I came to school that I really accepted this identity and understood its meaning. Listening to Abby Wambach and Megan Rapine talk about the inequalities in soccer, I realized that they too were so much more than just athletes. They were not only fighting for female athletes, but for all women. Even though soccer is not as big of a part of my life anymore, I still look up to these women for using their pedestals to call for equal pay and show girls that it is important to be a feminist.

Dinner at President Drake’s House

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This year I had the honor of meeting President Drake and his wife at a dinner honoring recipients of Undergraduate National Scholarships and Fellowships. The two of them were beyond gracious and friendly and interesting to speak with. I was able to go to this dinner because I was the recipient of a critical language scholarship (CLS) from the U.S. Department of State. The CLS provides a generous stipend for students to study languages deemed critical to national security. I am going to be studying Arabic in Tangier, Morocco for eight weeks this summer.

Receiving this scholarship had been my goal since I started studying Arabic my first semester of college. I had applied for it in November of 2015 and got news in March of 2016, so it required a lot of patience and uncertainty on my part. Traveling without friends or family and living in a Moroccan home for two months will be far outside of my comfort zone, but also hugely beneficial not only to my Arabic abilities and cultural knowledge, but to my personal growth, adaptability and independence.

Career

Shelby Powers

powers.440@osu.edu | |www.linkedin.com/in/shelbypowers

Education

The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, Bachelor of Arts                       anticipated May 2018

  • Political Science and Strategic Communication, minor in Arabic
  • 3.69/4.0 GPA, Dean’s List
    • Study Abroad Trip to New Delhi and Varanasi, India                                                           May 2015
    • Improved my understanding of Indian culture, history, and societal norms

Work Experience

Us Together Refugee Resettlement, Citizenship Education Intern          January 2016-present

  • Planning lessons for small classes of refugees and immigrants preparing for the naturalization test
  • Adapting to meet the needs of students’ various English levels
  • Learning about the needs and functions of a nonprofit environment

Ohio Senate, State Sen. Michael Skindell (23rd District), Page         June 2015-December 2015

  • Interacting with constituents via phone and email in a professional, clear manner
  • Utilizing Excel to organize a database of constituency information
  • Gaining Insight on the State Budget Passage Process
  • Organizing legislation and proof-reading floor speeches for the senator

 The Ohio State University Office of Student Life, Office Assistant                Sept 2014-Oct 2015

  • Answering and forwarding phone calls and scheduling events in Google Calendar
  • Organize and distribute incoming mail and packages to residents
  • Directed over 500 students and their parents through Move-In Day Check-In Process
  • Evaluating safety risks and contacting appropriate resources for situations

Leadership and Service

The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio, Grant Reader                                         October 2015-present

  • Assessing grant applications based on their potential to create social change and improve women’s status
  • Encouraging “Leadership for Women, Life skills for Girls,” and “Economic Self-Sufficiency for Women”
  • Collaborating with a small group of women to effectively evaluate and score grants

OIA English Language Conversation Program, Group Facilitator       September 2015-present

  • Organizing relevant events for small groups of international and American students
  • Fostering a respectful environment conducive to cross-cultural communication

Ohio State International Affairs Scholars Program                                          August 2014-present

  • Building community of internationally-minded, motivated students through the study of globalization
  • Participating in internationally themed events with faculty and other first and second year scholars
  • Mentoring a first year student within the Global Citizenship Community Program

Extra Curricular Activities

  • Senior Editor for The Algerian Political Science and International Relations Journal          2015-2016
  • Undergraduate Student Government Academic Affairs Committee Member                         2015-2016 
  • Collegiate Council on World Affairs Member                                                                                  2014-2016

Technical and Language Skills

  • Spanish: basic, 4 years of experience (reading, speaking, writing)
  • Modern Standard Arabic: basic, 1.5 years of experience (reading, speaking, writing)
  • Extremely competent in Microsoft Office Programs (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
  • Basic R Statistical Computing Software Ability

G.O.A.L.S.

Global Awareness: This has been my favorite aspect of the G.O.A.L.S. and the one that I have spent the most time focused on. Last year I went on the Honors and Scholars study abroad trip to India, and this summer I accepted a critical language scholarship from the U.S. Department of State to study Arabic for eight weeks in Morocco.  These experiences, and the courses that I have taken related to them have opened my eyes to two unique cultures and given me a lot of insight on a deeper level than the ‘single story’ that we are fed about places. Travel and learning a new language have also taken me outside of my comfort zone and challenged me to grow.

 

Original Inquiry: I am in the beginning phases of research right now, contacting professors and keeping an eye out for opportunities. I plan on taking a political science class focused on research development next spring. I am hoping to combine my academic interests and do research on something involving the Middle East, media, and public opinion.

 
Academic Enrichment: As a curious person I have always loved school and learning. Through my two majors (political science and strategic communication), and my Arabic minor, I get to cover a broad range of subjects and gain a variety of skills, from AP Style to classical Arabic grammar.

 
Leadership Development: I am currently a senior editor for (a recently re-named) student-run publication called Alger Magazine, which provides thoughtful analysis and commentary on current events. This role has allowed me to hone my writing and editing skills, and become educated about many world issues. I throughly enjoy helping writers to shape their voice and structure and strengthen their skills.

 
Service Engagement: Both of the internships that I have held in my two years at Ohio State have been service related. The first, working as a Senate Page, involved serving the constituents of a state senate district, and my more recent internship, teaching citizenship education classes has allowed me to serve immigrants and refugees as they prepare for their naturalization exam in order to become U.S. citizens.

Senate Page Internship

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Please disregard this embarrassing selfie of my wacky bowtie and blazer. This was the only photo evidence that I had from my time as a page in one of the district offices of the Ohio Senate. With a little help from my RA last year, I was hired here over the summer, and have been working here for the past six months. From my interview to my last day this week, walking into the beautiful, old State House down town never failed to send shivers down my spine. My responsibilities in the office were answering emails, organize our constituent database, run errands, and answer the phone in my office.  If I was lucky, I got to help edit floor speeches and press releases. Being a page gave me the opportunity to gain first hand insight into the State Budget passage process, and sit in on Caucus and Committee meetings. It might not seem like much, but being a page was a dream for a poli sci nerd like my self. Thanks to scheduling conflicts in the spring semester, my page career was cut short, but I will look back fondly on the Mondays and Wednesdays of my semester that I spent here. I consider this job my first “real job,” working alongside professionals in an office rather than other teens in a retail store or as an office assistant in my residence hall last year. Being a page was an excellent learning experience and a valuable foot in the door of my burgeoning career in politics.

The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio

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My second artifact is this picture from Grant Reader, an event put on by The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio. Three of my good friends and I had the opportunity to read grant proposals from nonprofits in the Columbus area trying to fund programming that advances the economic and social status of women and girls in the area. This involved one night of training, and one night of small group discussion of the grants, with two weeks of solo grant review in the middle. This event was special to me because I realized that I had never been in the same room with so many women at one time before. At both of the sessions, I felt a sense of support and sisterhood, and was inspired that we shared the common goal of helping other women. I also gained insight into the process of grant writing and reading, which will be useful to me if I pursue internships and careers in the nonprofit world. Best of all, I made some wonderful networking connections at this event, and have maintained contact with a few women who are Ohio State grads working in careers that are of interest to me. One of the women in particular, has taken me under her wing as a mentor.

Ta-Nahesi Coates’ Between the World and Me Talk

Ta-Nehesi Coates speaks at Ohio State

Ta-Nehesi Coates speaks at Ohio State 11/10

 

This picture of one of my favorite writers, Ta-Nehesi Coates. He is a regular contributor the The Atlantic, and wrote “Between the World and Me.” Mr. Coates is one of the leading commentators on race in America. His visit was in the midst of the Black Lives Matter Movement, and right around the time that the events involving ConcernedStudent1950 and the resignation of the university president at Mizzou. Just days before, students at Ohio State protested racism present here on our campus. This event was focused on his book “Between the World and Me,” which is written as a letter to Mr. Coates’ son. He spoke about excerpts from the book, about his time at Howard University, and about police brutality, mass incarceration, and structural racism. A good friend of mine was able to ask him a question, and left with some book suggestions for learning more about the black experience in America. This event opened my eyes to a lot of things, and inspired me to want to read Mr. Coates’ book. Seeing such an esteemed writer and hearing his career path and research inspired me in my own passion for writing, and hearing him speak about things that I had very little knowledge about left me shocked and yearning to learn more. I found a quote from “Between the World and Me,” that summed up what I gleaned from this event:

“But all our phrasing—race relations, racial chasm, racial justice, racial profiling, white privilege, even white supremacy—serves to obscure that racism is a visceral experience, that it dislodges brains, blocks airways, rips muscle, extracts organs, cracks bones, breaks teeth. You must never look away from this. You must always remember that the sociology, the history, the economics, the graphs, the charts, the regressions all land, with great violence, upon the body.”
― Ta-Nehisi CoatesBetween the World and Me

Thank you Mr. Coates for opening my eyes.